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EDUCATIONAL  SURVEY 

OF  THE 

PUBLIC  SCHOOLS 

OF 

BROOKLINE,  MASS/ 


'»'.*■'     ' 


1)»«91  -"s'i 


1917 
Published  by  The  School  Committee 


PRESS    OF 
MURRAY    AND    EMERY   COMPANY 
KENDALL  SQUARE,  CAMBRIDGE 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 

Page 


Letter  to  the  School  Committee 

Scope  of  the  Survey 

Method  of  the  Survey 
Summary  of  Conclusions 


CHAPTER  1  —  THE  BROOKLINE  COMMUNITY       [ij     .       .         27 
Special  group  of  17  selected  cities 
Nativity  of  the  population 
Large  proportion  of  females 
Small  proportion  of  children 
Superior  intelligence  of  people 
Occupations  of  the  people 
Manufacturing  establishments 
Distribution  of  wealth 
Total  wealth  of  Brookline 

CHAI^TER  II  — THE. SCHOOL  SYSTEM 43 

Liberal  expenditures 
Short  daily  sessions 
^fclass  promotions' 
Freedom  of  the  teacher 
Size  of  classes 
Supervision  of  the  schools 

CHAPTER  III  —  SCHOOL  FINANCES        .        .       ^  .    .       .       .         51 
Analysis  of  cost  —  general  control 
Analysis  of  costs  —  elementary  schools 
Analysis  of  costs  —  secondary  schools 

CHAPTER  IV  — SCHOOL  BUILDINGS  AND  EQUIPMENT      *.         82 
Size  of  plant 
Small  primary  schools 
Location 
Districts 
Upkeep  of  plant 
Outdoor  and  indoor  upkeep 
Janitors  and  their  work 

Hi 


w^  '  Table  of  Contents 

((^/  ELEMENTARY  SCHOOLS 92 

Lighting  , 

Blacl^oards 

Seating 

Toilets 

Special  rooms 

Heating  and  ventilating 

Fire  risks  in  basements 

Attics 

Corridors 

Auditoriums 

Cooking  rooms 

Stairs 

Exits 

Fire  escapes 

Fire  extinguishers  and  alarms 

Building  regulations 


HIGH  SCHOOL .146 

Location 

Remodelling  old  building 

Size  of  rooms 

Light 

Toilets 

Special  rooms 

Heating  and  ventilating 

Fire  risk 


PRACTICAL  ARTS  AND  MANUAL  TRAINING  BUILDINGS       156 

Heating  plant 

Stairs 

Exits 

Corridors 

Attic 

Fire  escapes 

Lighting 

Heating  and  ventilating  i 

Toilets 

Rest  rooms  needed 

Kindergarten 

PUBLIC  GYMNASIUM 164 


Table  of  Contents  v 

SUMMARY  OF  EXISTING  CONDITIONS  AND  PLANS  FOR     Page 
THE  FUTyRE 165 

Mistakeii  economy 

Archite/Cts 

Old  elisors  copied 

School  census  an  aid 

Remaking  old  buildings 

Longwood 

Lawrence 

Sewall,  Parsons,  Lincoln 

New  elementary  school  needed 

Newton  Street  school 

High  school 

Manual  Training  building 

Senior  high  school 

Building  policy  needed 

Chestnut  Hill  section 

CHAPTER  V  — THE  SCHOOL  POPULATION         ....       176 
■*■     The  school  census 

Distribution  of  enrollment     . 
>- — JUtendance 

Ages  at  which  pupils  will  complete  the  schooling 
^^Progress  of  pupils    , 

y  EHmination  of  pupils  from  school 
'^    The  attendance  office 

Records  and  reports 

CHAPTER  VI  —  PROVISIONS  FOR  SAFEGUARDING  HEALTH       207 

(a)  Health  Environment  and  Physical  Training 

The  need  of  play  fields,  gymnasiums  and  baths 

The  grammar  school  gymnasiums  inadequate 

Baths  in  high  school  gymnasiums 

Difficulties  in  schedule-making 

Time  required  for  proper  exercise 

Value  of  accurate  records 

Work  in  corrective  gymnastics  commended 

The  pubhc  gymnasiums  and  baths 

Lack  of  correlation 
(6)  Health  Work  and  Medical  Inspection 

How  the  work  started 

Legal  provisions 

The  staff 


f-"*  Table  of  Contents 

Pa^e 
•CHAPTER  VI  —  Continued 
Policy  of  laissez  faire 
An  interview 

Inspection  for  contagious  disease 
Examination  for  physical  defects 
Comparative  findings 
Reports 

Notices  to  parents 
Preventive  work 
Dispensaries 
School  nurse 

Vision  and  hearing  tests  54 

Special  classes  for  physically  handicapped  children 
Tresh  air  class. 
Physical  training  department 
Chnics 

School  feeding 
Costs 
Recommendations 

CHAPTER  Vn  —  THE  KINDERGARTENS 262 

Liberal  provision  for  kindergartens 
Organization  and  teaching  force 
Program  and  methods  of  instruction 
Spirit  and  professional  attitude 

CHAPTER  Vni  —  THE  COMMON  BRANCHES      ....       268 
History 

Standard  tests  in  common  branches 
Arithmetic  —  fundamentals 
Arithmetic  —  reasoning 
Spelling 
Penmanship 

Heading  —  speed  of  silent  reading 
R^adins;  —  quality  of  reproduction 
Composition 

CHAPTER  IX  —  THE  SPECIAL  BRANCHES 288 

Drawing  and  handwork  in  primary  grades 
Drawing  in  grammar  grades 
Domestic  science  and  domestic  art 
Manual  training  in  Grades  V  to  IX 
Music 


Table  of  Contents  vii 

Page 
U6hAPTER  X  —  GRADES  VIII  AND  IX 299 

The  certificate  to  high  school 
^:^romotion  and  non-promotion  to  high  school 
Size  of  classes 
Age  of  pupils  in  Grade  IX 
Teachers'  assignments  in  Grade  IX 
Differentiation  of  work 
Cost  of  Grade  IX 
Why  continue  Grade  IX 
A  Junior  High  School  for  Brookhne 

'Chapter  xi  —  the  high  school 322 

^^^istribution,  elimination  and  graduation  of  pupils 
^'""''^   Brookline  school  graduates  to  college 

Membersh'p  by  grades  in  successive  years 

Distribution  by  courses 

Building  and  equipment 

Program  of  studies  and  curriculums 

Hiph  school  shop  work 

Organization  and  management 

Number  of  recitation  classes  of  various  sizes 

Disciphne 

Teachers'  assignments 

Departmental  grouping  of  "Instructional  Loads" 

Effect  of  organization  on  costs 

Teachers  and  teaching 

High  school  salaries 

High  school  failures  in  three  years 

CHAPTER  XII  —  THE  SCHOOL  OF  PRACTICAL  ARTS     .       .       382 

Aim  of  the  school 

Obstacles  to  development 

Suggested  rearrangement  of  shops 

Additional  types  of  activities  needed 

Occupations  of  citizens  of  Brookline 

Vocational  inquiry  in  Grades  VII  to  IX 

Discrepancy  between  occupations  of  fathers  and  aspirations .  of 

children 
Birthplaces  of  fathers 

Extent  to  w^hich  children  expect  to  complete  their  education 
Summary  and  recommendations 

CHAPTER      XIII  — A      DEMONSTRATION      SCHOOL      FOR 

BROOKLINE 400 

APPENDIX 408 


SCHOOL  SURVEY  OF  BROOKLINE, 
MASSACHUSETTS 


Springfield,  Mass.,  April  23,  1917. 

To  the  School  Committee  of  Brookline: 

I  have  the  honor  to  present  herewith  a  report  of  an  educa- 
tional survey  of  your  schools  made  under  authority  voted  at 
your  meeting  held  June  5,  1916.  During  the  month  of  June 
of  that  year  prehminary  studies  were  made  and  a  Plan  of  Survey 
was  drawn  and  submitted  for  your  approval. 

In  carrying  out  the  Plan  of  Survey  I  secured  the  assistance 
of  a  corps  of  workers  each  of  whom  had  a  broad  knowledge  of 
schools  and  school  procedure  in  general,  and  in  addition  expert 
knowledge  in  a  particular  field.  Though  each  of  my  colleagues 
gave  chief  attention  to  that  phase  of  the  work  which  represented 
his  predominant  interest  there  was  more  or  less  overlapping  and 
thus  the  view  of  each  worker  was  checked  by  one  or  more  mem- 
bers of  the  staff  as  well  as  by  the  Director  of  the  Survey  who 
assumes  full  responsibihty  for  the  report  as  a  whole. 

The  Survey  Staff. 

James  H.  Van  Sickle,  Superintendent  of  Schools,  Spring- 
field, Mass.,  Director  of  the  Survey. 

Henry  S.  West,  Professor  of  Secondary  Education,  Univer- 
sity of  Cincinnati,  Ohio;  formerly  Assistant  Superintendent  of 
Schools,  Baltimore,  Md. 

Harlan  Updegraff,  Division  of  Education,  University  of 
Pennsylvania;  formerly  Specialist  in  Education,  United  States 
Bureau  of  Education,  Washington,  D.  C. 

George  Drayton  Strayer,  Professor  of  Educational  Ad- 
ministration, Teachers  College,  Columbia  University,  N.  Y. 

1 


2      '    '  '^'  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

Egbert  'E.  MacNary,  Director  of  Vocational  Education  and 
Practical  Arts  in  the  Schools  of  Springfield,  Mass. 

May  Ayres,  Specialist  in  Hygiene  and  Sanitation,  New 
York  City. 

Bertha  M.  McConkey,  Assistant  Superintendent  of  Schools, 
Springfield,  Mass. 

James  H.  McCurdy,  M.D.,  Director  of  Physical  Training, 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  College,  Springfield,  Mass. 

Wilbur  F.  Gordy,  Hartford,  Conn.;  formerly  Superintendent 
of  Schools,  Springfield,  Mass. 

Edwin  A.  Shaw,  Department  of  Education,  Tufts  College, 
Mass. 

The  Method  of  the  Survey. 

It  was  not  convenient  for  all  members  of  the  Survey  Stafi^ 
to  be  in  Brookhne  at  the  same  time.  In  this  there  was  a  certain 
advantage  for  since  their  observations  on  the  ground  were  dis- 
tributed over  a  period  of  six  months  the  Director  was  able  to 
take  up  with  each  member  in  turn  the  particular  phase  of  the 
study  allotted  to  him  and  in  this  way  to  gain  the  necessary  insight 
into  the  complex  problems  involved  which  would  enable  him 
to  present  a  unified  report.  Though  the  Director  holds  himself 
responsible  for  each  and  every  part  of  what  is  here  presented, 
the  report  represents  the  combined  judgment  of  all  who  par- 
ticipated in  the  Survey.  As  the  work  progressed  there  were 
frequent  consultations  and  toward  the  close  formal  conferences 
were  held  at  which  every  item  here  presented  was  dully  discussed. 

Conferences  were  held  with  members  of  the  School  Com- 
mittee, wdth  the  Superintendent,  the  principals,  the  teachers 
and  others;  classrooms  were  visited  and  tests  were  made  of  chil- 
dren's work  in  the  common  branches.  Co-operation  of  all  con- 
nected with  the  schools  and  with  others  having  knowledge  of 
them  was  sought,  so  that  every  one  might  show  his  point  of  view 
concerning  any  matter  under  examination.  Other  sources  of 
information  were  consulted,  such  as  printed  reports,  —  nation. 
State,  and  town,  and  those  of  the  School  Committee.  The 
pubhshed  Courses  of  Study  and  the  rules  of  the  School  Com- 


Letter  to  the  School  Committee  ,       3 

mittee  were  examined.  An  expert  accountant  was  employed 
to  secure  first-hand  information  from  financial  records  in  Brook- 
line,  and  another  to  gather  statistical  data  obtainable  only  by 
examination  of  unpublished  records  in  the  Bureau  of  Education 
at  Washington,  D.  C. 

It  was  the  aim  of  the  Survey  Staff  to  specify  and  commend 
the  good  found  and  to  indicate  places  and  means  for  improvement. 
They  found  much  to  admire.  Nevertheless  the  space  in  the 
report  devoted  to  the  approval  of  those  features  which  attracted 
the  favorable  notice  of  the  Survey  Staff  is  necessarily  less  than  that 
devoted  to  the  shortcomings  of  the  system  and  the  changes  recom- 
mended; for  in  suggesting  changes  a  full  statement  of  each  need 
as  seen  by  the  Survey  Staff  must  be  followed  by  an  equally  clear 
and  detailed  statement  of  the  remedy  recommended  in  each 
instance.  This  takes  much  space,  but  since  constructive  criticism 
is  what  the  School  Committee  had  in  mind  in  ordering  the  Survey, 
the  attitude  of  the  Survey  Staff  in  the  form  of  presentation  is 
not  hkely  to  be  misunderstood. 

The  co-operation  which  was  accorded  the  Survey  Staff  by 
the  School  Committee  and  its  officers  and  employees  from  the 
beginning  to  the  end  of  the  study  was  of  the  most  satisfactory 
character.  The  Superintendent  placed  at  our  disposal  all  of 
the  facihties  of  his  office,  and  gave  time  and  attention  without 
stint  to  everything  which  could  aid  us  in  getting  a  detailed  and 
comprehensive  view  of  the  schools  in  all  phases  of  their  activity. 
His  attitude  of  cordial  co-operation  was  reflected  in  the  teachers. 
They  were  most  cordial  and  helpful.  There  was  an  entire  ab- 
sence of  any  appearance  of  constraint  in  their  deaUngs  with  us. 
They  wished  us  to  see  the  schools  in  their  every-day  aspect  and 
to  that  end  proceeded  with  regular  work  except  when  asked  to 
make  way  for  the  "standard  tests."  Their  valuable  assistance 
in  the  teeing  is  acknowledged  in  the  chapter  devoted  to  that 
phase  of  the  Survey.  I  take  pleasure  here  in  expressing  my 
appreciation  of  the  highly  professional  attitude  of  the  Brookline 
teaching  force  as  shown  during  the  months  in  which  the  Survey 
was  in  progress. 


4  School  Survey  of'Brookline 

Brookline  has  been  a  pioneer  in  nearly  all  phases  of  education 
which  are  agitating  the  pubhc  mind  today.  Scarcely  a  feature 
of  school  work  which  has  justified  itself  and  become  permanent 
in  any  progressive  community  the  country  over  is  lacking.  It 
is  inevitable  that  a  system  so  long  in  existence  should  have  in- 
heritances from  the  past  that  are  sources  of  embarrassment  —  for 
instance,  buildings  not  modern,  but  too  good  to  be  abandoned, 
and  traditions  which  have  almost  the  force  of  laws.  Many  of 
the  criticisms  made  in  this  report  would  apply  with  equal  or 
even  greater  force  to  every  school  system  of  equal  age.  Criticisms 
and  the  corresponding  recommendations,  it  will  be  observed, 
grow  largely  out  of  questionable  economy  in  the  amount  of 
supervision  furnished,  out  of  old  conditions  and  out  of  forms  of 
organization  that  are  traditional.  It  is  the  belief  of  the  Survey 
Staff  that  a  community  imbued  with  so  high  a  degree  of  civic 
pride,  so  willing  to  pay  liberally  for  what  it  considers  to  be 
good,  and  having  in  its  employ  a  school  staff  so  capable  and  for- 
ward-looking, will  leave  no  means  unused  to  free  its  schools  from 
every  tradition  which  hampers  their  best  development. 

Respectfully  submitted, 

James  H.  Van  Sickle, 
Director  of  the  Survey. 


SUMMARY  OF  CONCLUSIONS. 

The  Brookline  Community. 

1.  Brookline  is  a  wealthy  town.  In  both  a,ssessed  and  real 
valuation  per  capita  of  population  it  is  one  of  the  highest  in  the 
United  States. 

2.  Brookline  has  always  in  recent  years  been  liberal  in  sup- 
port of  her  public  schools,  one  of  the  most  liberal  in  the  State, 
always  ranking  close  to  the  top  in  a  table  in  the  State  report 
showing  the  amount  spent  per  pupil.  At  the  same  time  in  her 
amount  per  $1000  of  assessed  valuation  of  taxable  property  that 
has  been  expended  she  has  uniformly  been  among  the  very  lowest. 
She  is,  in  fact,  so  wealthy  that  the  largest  appropriation  put  upon 
her  causes  but  the  slightest  strain. 

3.  Brookline  is  a  progressive  residential  town  whose  popula- 
tion is  increasing  more  rapidly  than  the  normal  for  cities  of  the 
same  population  group,  a  town  of  wealth  and  culture,  of  many 
eminent  men  and  women,  of  many  leaders,  of  many  unmarried 
females,  of  many  servants,  and  hence  a  town  of  few  children,  a  fairly 
large  proportion  of  whom  are  of  foreign  birth  and  of  low  economic 
condition;  a  community  which  within  itself  furnishes  but  meager 
vocational  opportunities  for  these  children,  yet  which,  being 
really  a  part  of  the  Boston  metropoUtan  district,  may  afford 
for  all  children  a  far  wider  range  of  opportunity  than  most  cities 
of  its  size. 

Distinctive  Features  of  the  Brookline  School  System. 

1.  The  system  comprises  the  kindergarten,  the  elementary 
school  of  nine  grades  and  a  high  school  of  four  grades. 

2.  The  system  is  characterized  by  liberal  expenditures,  by 
adherence  to  the  best  traditions  of  school  management  as  regards 
the  respective  functions  of  School  Committee  and  Superintendent 
as  chief  executive  officer,  by  the  very  unusual  freedom  accorded 
the  teachers,  by  short  daily  sessions  ending  at  1.30  p.m.,  by  ab- 

5 


6  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

sence  of  hard  and  fast  district  lines,  by  the  one-year  interval 
between  classes,  by  whole  class  versus  individual  promotion  and 
by  small  classes  both  in  elementary  schools  and  high  schools. 

3.  The  amount  of  supervision  provided  is  exceptionally 
small,  so  small  as  to  be  out  of  harmony  with  the  standards  set  by 
the  town  in  its  expenditures  generally.  The  Superintendent 
needs  an  assistant  and  an  additional  clerk.  Additional  super- 
vision is  needed  in  the  special  branches. 

ScHOQL  Finances. 

1.  In  this  report  the  comparison  of  costs  is  limited  to  cities 
that  are  most  like  Brookline  in  wealth,  intelligence  of  the  popula- 
tion, proximity  to  urban  centers,  absence  of  industrial  and  com- 
mercial life  and  reputation  of  schools  —  all  of  which  factors  have 
a  tendency  to  promote  high  costs  of  education. 

2.  Brookline  ranks  third  among  the  17  selected  cities  in 
total  cost  of  elementary  schools.  Her  third  rank  is  made  up 
of  a  combination  (1)  of  relatively  high  expenses  for  principals, 
janitors,  textbooks,  and  heat,  light,  power,  and  janitors'  supplies, 
(2)  of  relatively  very  low  expenses  for  supervisors  and  libraries, 
and  (3)  of  costs  for  the  other  items  lying  between  these  two  ex- 
penses. 

3.  On  the  whole,  there  is  a  better  distribution  of  expenses  in 
the  secondary  schools  than  in  the  elementary  schools. 

4.  The  wealth  of  Brookline  is  so  great  and  the  number  of 
children  enrolled  in  proportion  to  her  population  is  so  small 
when  compared  vdih.  other  cities  that  notwithstanding  she  gives 
to  the  support  of  her  schools  almost  as  much  as  any  other  city 
for  each  pupil,  she  still  gives  the  least  per  cent  of  her  total  town 
expenditure  to  schools.  In  order  to  come  up  to  the  median  of 
the  selected  group  of  cities  she  would  have  to  increase  her  school 
expenses  by  83  per  cent. 

5.  While  Brookline  ranks  relatively  high  in  the  selected  list 
of  cities  in  total  costs  of  her  schools,  in  the  opinion  of  the  Survey 
Committee  she  is  not  spending  too  much.  Better  distribution 
of  expenses  in  some  directions  might  be  madcj  yet  there  should 
be  no  curtailment.     On  the  contrary,  in  some  directions,  notably 


Summary  of  Conclusions  7 

in  buildings  and  equipment,  larger  expenditures  are  called  for. 
Brookline  can  well  afford  to  carry  out  the  conservative  building 
program,  and  proceed  with  the  organization  of  the  new  types 
of  schools,  courses  and  activities  recommended  in  this  report. 
Also  she  can  and  should  increase  the  administrative  and  super- 
visory forces.  The  schools  of  the  future  will  have  to  put 
larger  portions  of  their  money  into  administration  and  super- 
vision than  in  the  past,  especially  in  the  school  systems  that  are 
going  to  stress  attention  to  individual  differences  and  needs- 
Brookline  could  double  the  amount  now  spent  upon  each  pupil 
without  placing  any  greater  burden  upon  her  taxable  property 
than  is  now  borne  by  Springfield,  the  city  occupying  the  middle 
position  in  the  list,  and  her  school  support  could  be  trebled  with- 
out causing  so  great  a  burden  as  that  which  Yonkers  is  now  bearing  ^ 

Buildings  and  Equipment. 
It  has  been  Brookline's  policy  to  have  its  primary  schools: 
and  kindergartens  located  near  the  homes  of  the  children.  In  the 
fall  of  1916  the  school  department  maintained  six  primary  build- 
ings, each  for  less  than  130  children.  These  six  buildings  are 
uniformly  old  and  poorly  planned,  badly  heated  and  ventilated^ 
dangerous  in  case  of  fire,  and  ill  adapted  to  modern  educational 
requirements.     It  is  the  opinion  of  the  Survey  Staff  that: 

1.  The  children  who  attend  the  Newton  Street  one  room 
school  should  be  transported  in  the  school  barges  to  the  Heath 
School,  where  they  would  have  superior  advantages. 

2.  The  children  of  the  kindergarten  and  the  first  three 
grades  in  the  Chestnut  Hill  section  should  continue  as  now  to  be 
transported  by  barge  and  trolley  to  the  Heath  School,  at  least 
until  the  population  of  that  section  increases  to  such  an  extent 
as  to  furnish  a  full  room  of  each  of  these  grades. 

3.  Objections  to  mode  of  conveyance  be  met  by  use  of  modern 
closed,  warmed  and  motor-driven  barges,  such  as  the  market 
now  affords. 

Two  of  the  grammar  schools,  the  Lawrence  and  the  Lincoln, 
are  equally  unfit  for  continued  use.  The  former  might  be  dis- 
pensed with  or  its  site  used  for  a  new  consoHdated  primary  school; 


8  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

the  latter  should  be  replaced  by  a  large  public  school  building 
of  the  most  approved  modern  type,  located  on  a  site  as  near  the 
village  square  as  possible,  so  that  the  best  that  the  town  can 
supply  shall  be  available  for  children  whose  need  is  greatest. 
There  is  no  single  investment  which  the  town  could  make  more 
likely  to  result  in  improved  social  conditions  than  the  placing 
of  a  socialized  modern  school  in  the  heart  of  this  most  congested 
portion  of  Brookhne. 

The  policy  of  systematic  and  continuous  attention  to  the 
upkeep  of  old  buildings  is  to  be  commended.  All  are  in  a  good 
state  of  repair. 

With  two  exceptions  the  janitors  employed  in  the  Brookline 
system  give  the  impression  of  being  competent,  diUgent  and 
keenly  interested  in  the  welfare  of  the  schools  under  their  charge. 
There  is  no  definite  basis  for  amount  of  salary  or  number  of 
assistants.  To  make  a  schedule  is  a  difficult  problem.  Much 
of  the  information  needed  could  best  be  secured  by  a  committee 
chosen  from  among  the  janitors  themselves.  The  total  expendi- 
ture for  janitors'  salaries  is  relatively  high,  but  in  considering  this 
fact  the  decision  of  the  Brookhne  janitors  to  ignore  the  eight- 
hour  law  and  to  put  in  such  hours  as  prove  to  be  necessary  should 
be  given  due  weight.  This  report  suggests  that  definite  hours 
of  work  and  specified  tasks,  together  with  two  or  more  weeks 
of  paid  vacation,  be  estabhshed  for  all  janitors  during  the  summer 
months. 

There  are  no  school  districts  in  Brookhne.  As  a  result, 
class  distinctions  are  more  closely  marked  between  Brookhne 
schools  than  is  generally  the  case  between  schools  of  other  Ameri- 
can communities.  Brookhne  has  given  its  worst  buildings  to 
children  whose  need  is  greatest.  Responsibihty  for  specific 
conditions  is  not  fixed  on  definite  groups,  hence  unsatisfactory 
conditions  go  unchallenged. 

Twenty  years  ago  school  buildings  were  being  erected  with 
unilateral  fighting,  flat  roofs,  fireproof  stairways  in  separate 
stair  towers,  sunken  wardrobes,  first  floor  auditoriums,  dispen- 
saries, gymnasiums  and  shower  baths.  Brookhne's  newest  school 
buildings  fail  to  measure  up  to  the  best  modern  standards.     Old 


Summary  of  Conclusions  9 

errors  have  been  copied  in  new  buildings.  For  specific  and  de- 
tailed criticisms  of  each  school  building  in  Brookline  the  reader 
is  referred  to  the  text. 

It  is  mistaken  economy  to  go  on  from  year  to  year  without 
a  comprehensive  building  plan.  The  school  authorities  should 
adopt  a  systematic,  well-thought-out  building  policy  so  that 
new  houses  shall  be  erected  when  they  are  needed,  where  they 
are  needed,  and  according  to  the  most  approved  modern  plans. 
It  is  possible  to  predict  movements  of  population  with  consider- 
able accuracy,  and  needs  may  be  outlined  for  at  least  a  ten-year 
period. 

I  Certain  grammar  and  primary  schools  should  be  replaced 
by  new  buildings.  The  high  school  is  unsuited  to  permanent 
use  and  its  plan  is  such  as  to  preclude  the  possibility  of  satis- 
factory alteration.  A  Junior  High  School  is  needed  to  provide 
the  best  educational  environment  for  pupils  above  Grade  VI, 
and  below  Grade  X.  It  is  also  needed  to  relieve  present  conges- 
tion in  certain  grammar  schools,  and  to  provide  for  future  in-* 
crease  of  enrollment  in  these  grades.  Other  buildings  are  in  need 
of  repairs  and  alterations  to  make  them  sanitary  and  safe. 

As  rapidly  as  possible!  Brookline  should  begin  and  carry 
forward  the  following  new  building  projects,  meanwhile  render- 
ing such  existing  buildings  as  are  to  be  in  permanent  use  both 
sanitary  and  safe. 

1.  A  Junior  High  School  on  or  near  the  high  school  campus. 

2.  A  new  elementary  school  to  take  the  place  of  Sewall, 
Parsons  and  Lincoln. 

3.  A  Senior  High  School  in  successive  sections  on  the  present 
commanding  site. 

4.  Addition  of  a  third  floor  to  the  Manual  Training  building. 
Within  ten  years  all  of  the  above  should  be  accompHshed. 

By  reason  of  her  exceptional  wealth  Brookline  can  carry  out  this 
building  program  with  the  minimum  of  embarrassment.  Her 
widely  known  aim  to  give  her  children  the  best  possible  educa- 
tional advantages,  her  reputation  for  progressiveness  and  her 
emphatic  need  of  the  accommodations  here  recommended,  all 
argue  for  prompt  and  positive  action  upon  this  building  program. 


10  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

School  Enrollment. 

1.  In  November,  1916,  there  were  enrolled  in  the  elementary 
schools  3080  pupils  and  in  the  high  schools  704  pupils. 

2.  The  average  size  of  classes  in  the  elementary  schools  is 
30,  a  number  commonly  beheved  to  be  as  large  as  is  consistent 
■sv-ith  efficiency  of  instruction. 

3.  Of  70  Massachusetts  towns  BrookUne  is  one  of  eight  hav- 
ing the  lowest  per  cent  of  attendance.  The  schools  having  the 
poorest  records  are  attended  by  the  children  of  the  more  in- 
teUigent  and  well-to-do  parents. 

4.  Of  32  cities  compared  BrookUne  has  the  largest  per- 
centage of  over-age  pupils  in  its  elementary  schools.  In  other 
words,  if  they  remain  in  school  a  larger  number  will  complete 
their  elementary  education  at  an  age  greater  than  the  normal 
than  in  any  other  of  these  cities.* 

5.  A  school  system  cannot  be  said  to  be  doing  its  duty  to 
society  unless  it  adapts  its  organization  of  classes  and  its  Course 
oi  Study  to  meet  the  needs  of  the  large  class  of  over-age  children. 
This  over-age  condition  in  the  Brookhne  schools  is  inconsistent 
with  their  reputation  and  hampering  to  their  usefulness. 
Both  the  parents  and  the  schools  are  responsible;  the  parents  for 
late  entrance  and  irregular  attendance  of  pupils,  and  the  schools 
for  the  superfluous  ninth  grade,  for  mass  promotion,  and  the 
short  school  day. 

6.  At  least  as  much  emphasis  should  be  placed  upon  the 
rapid  advancement  of  capable  individuals  beyond  grade  as  to 
keeping  laggards  up  to  grade.  To  meet  the  situation  presented 
by  the  data  of  this  chapter  relating  to  age  and  progress  the  Survey 
Committee  recommends  that  classes  be  organized  as  far  as 
possible  according  to  the  ability  of  pupils;  that  special  classes 

*  The  holding  power  of  the  schools  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  but  three 
pupils  left  to  go  to  work  at  14,  while  but  three  left  to  go  to  work  lower  than 
the  seventh  grade.  Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  many  pupils  are  over-age, 
those  whose  circumstances  compel  them  to  seek  employment  reach  higher^ 
grades  than  pupils  similarly  circumstanced  in  most  cities.  This  speaks  well 
for  the  interest  in  their  pupils  and  the  power  to  win  and  hold  them  exemphfied 
in  the  teaching  force. 


Summary  of  Conclusions  11 

be  formed  for  backward  pupils;  that  additional  unassigned 
teachers  be  provided;  that  a  central  Junior  High  School  be 
organized  to  comprise  all  classes  of  Grades  VII,  VIII,  IX,  and 
X,  to  be  entered  normally  between  the  ages  of  12  and  13  and 
to  be  completed  in  three  years,  through  dropping  out  the  present 
ninth  grade;  organization  of  program  to  permit  due  flexibility 
in  courses  and  rapid  advancement  on  the  part  of  the  more 
capable,  and  that  the  Senior  High  School,  with  a  course  of  three 
years,  be  entered  normally  at  15  and  completed  at  18. 

The  Attendance  Office. 

1.  Taking  into  account  thje  limitations  under  which  the 
attendance  work  is  performed  it  is  well  done,  but  the  attendance 
officer  needs  his  whole  time  for  the  work.  The  duties  connected 
with  the  stock  room  and  the  delivery  of  supplies  to  schools  now 
required  of  him  should  be  transferred  to  the  clerk  hai-ing  charge 
of  school  property.  ^ 

2.  A  continuing  census  should  be  instituted  and  kept  up  to 
date  by  the  attendance  officer  with  the  assistance  of  principals 
and  teachers. 

3.  The  school  attendance  office  should  be  developed  so  that 
it  may  render  service  as  a  vocational  guidance  bureau. 

Records  AND  Reports. 

1.  There  is  a  striking  lack  of  records  in  the  Brookline  school 
system.  By  no  means  enough  information  about  the  elementary 
schools,  the  high  school  and  School  of  Practical  Arts  and  their 
pupils  is  being  recorded,  systematically  accumulated  and  periodi- 
cally analyzed  and  reported  in  statistical  form. 

2.  The  financial  accounting  is  accurate  but  crude  and  in- 
adequate, and  of  little  value  in  determining  the  efficiencies  of 
costs. 

3.  The  budget  system  needs  to  be  reorganized  in  order  to 
make  it  an  efficient  instrument  for  intelfigent  control. 

4.  Records  in  the  field  of  equipment  and  suppUes  are  as  in- 
definite as  in  the  other  fields. 


12  School  Survey  of  Bbookline 

5.  The  following  pupil  records  are  needed:  (a)  Permanent 
record  of  quality  of  work,  (6)  progress  of  pupils  through  the 
grades,  (c)  failure  in  each  study,  (d)  Avithdrawal  from  school, 
(e)  location  of  each  child  of  school  age  in  school,  public  or  private. 

6.  The  accounting  system  should  be  reorganized  so  as  to 
permit  a  distribution  of  expenses  in  accordance  with  the  classi- 
fication of  the  national  office  of  education. 

7.  The  budget  and  the  monthly  and  annual  financial  reports 
should  be  revised  so  as  to  be  in  accord  with  the  national  system 
of  school  accounting.  • 

Health  Environment  and  Physical  Training. 

1.  The  pupils  in  upper  grammar  grades  need  play  fields, 
gymnasiums  and  baths  as  an  adequate  environment  for  activity. 
In  several  instances  play  fields  are  lacking  and  in  others  they  are  so 
far  from  the  school  buildings  as  to  diminish  their  value. 

2.  All  of  the  grammar  school  gymnasiums  are  inadequate 
from  the  modern  standpoint.  The  ceihngs  are  too  low,  many  of 
them  are  too  small  and  the  play  space  is  encroached  upon  by  the 
presence  of  posts. 

3.  The  high  school  classes  use  the  Brookhne  PubHc  Gym- 
nasium. The  gymnasium  for  girls  is  reached  by  climbing  three 
flights  of  stairs.  It  is  not  completely  equipped.  The  showers 
are  badly  placed  and  consequently  are  httle  used. 

The  gymnasium  used  by  the  boys  is  large  and  well  equipped, 
but  the  bathing  facilities  are  poor.     The  joint  use  of  the  gym- 
nasium by  the  school  and  the  public  presents  for  the  school 
schedule-making   difficulties  which  hmit  the  use  made   of   the. 
plant. 

4.  The  classroom  schedule  should  be  arranged  to  permit 
each  child  in  the  upper  grammar  grades  and  the  high  school 
to  have  in  addition  to  the  recess  40  minutes  for  vigorous  exercise 
twice  each  week,  with  20  additional  minutes  allowed  for  bathing. 
The  schedule  for.  the  lower  grades  should  arrange  for  the  recess 
period,  for  two  30-minute  periods  of  gymnastics  or  play  per  week 
and  for  three  daily  periods  of  exercise  of  four  minutes  each. 

5.  In    the   high    school,  physical   examinations   proceed    so 


Summary  of  Conclusions  13 

slowly  in  the  opening  weeks  of  school  that  much  time  is  lost  in 
the  physical  training  work  by  a  late  start.  The  physical  examina- 
tions should  be  better  organized. 

6.  Both  in  the  elementary  schools  and  the  high  schools  the 
physical  examination  records  are  inadequate.  Careful  records 
should  be  kept  and  thej^  should  be  made  available  both  to  the 
regular  teachers  and  the  physical  training  teachers  in  whose  classes 
these  pupils  are  working. 

7.  Much  excellent  work  has  been  done  under  poor  adminis- 
trative conditions.  The  work  accomplished  in  corrective  gjon- 
nastics  deserves  special  commendation.  This  section  of  the 
work  in  the  elementary  schools  should  be  increased. 

8.  The  joint  use  of  the  pubUc  gymnasium  and  baths  by 
adults  and  school  pupils  under  separate  control  results  neces- 
sarily in  some  lack  of  correlation.  Brookline's  ultimate  high 
school  should  have  its  own  gymnasiums  and  baths. 

9.  The  recommendations  of  this  report  call  for  a  little  more 
than  twice  the  present  instruction  in  physical  training.  The 
fact  that  Brookline  is  now  doing  as  well  as  many  other  com- 
munities in  this  field  does  not  remove  from  the  Survey  Committee 
the  obligation  of  pointing  out  the  best  modern  standards  in  mak- 
ing provision  for  the  physical  needs  of  youth. 

Health  Work. 

1.  Classroom  Visits.  Weekly  room  inspections  should  be 
placed  in  the  hands  of  the  teacher  or  nurse.  If  any  child  needs 
the  doctor  a  special  call  should  be  sent  in  to  him. 

2.  Yearly  Examinations,  (a)  Each  inspector  should  have  a 
definite  idea  of  what  he  is  expected  to  look  for.  (b)  He  should 
clearly  understand  the  degree  of  defectiveness  which  demands 
(1)  that  it  be  entered  on  the  card;  and  (2)  that  parents  be  notified, 
(c)  He  should  know  exactly  what  the  terms  used  by  every  other 
inspector  mean,  (d)  He  should  be  required  to  enter  all  results  of 
examinations  on  the  individual  pupil  health  cards  instead  of  in 
blank  books  or  on  loose  sheets  of  paper,  (e)  He  should  be  re- 
quired to  give  regular  written  reports  on  examinations  made, 
defects  found  and  defects  remedied.     (/)  These  reports  should  be 


14  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

regularly  compared  in  staff  conference  so  that  each  inspector  may 
gain  a  clear  understanding  of  what  other  members  of  the  staff  are 
doing,  (g)  A  detailed  report  of  work  accomplished  should  be 
part  of  the  printed  record  issued  annually  by  the  School  Com- 
mittee. 

3.  Follow-up  Work,  (a)  A  system  of  follow-up  work  should 
be  established  in  order  to  insure  treatment  of  defects  found.  Such 
a  system  should  include  "return  cards"  from  parents,  interviews 
with  parents,  and  home  visits  by  nurses.  (6)  Work  of  physicians 
should  be  judged  by  the  proportion  of  defects  discovered  which 
receive  treatment. 

4.  Preventive  Work.  Definite  and  uniform  policies  should 
be  adopted  providing  for  health  instruction  for  pupils,  health 
conferences  with  teachers,  systematic  calling  of  parent  conferences, 
talks  with  individual  parents,  inspection  of  hygienic  conditions  in 
school  buildings,  and  health  classes  for  janitors.  Health  educa- 
tion should  be  made  the  most  important  part  of  the  medical 
inspector's  work. 

5.  Dispensaries.  Dispensaries  for  doctors  and  nurses 
«hould  be  fitted  up  in  every  school  building  except  the  Devotion 
grammar.  Medical  inspection  cannot  be  effective  without  ade- 
quate facihties  for  carrying  on  the  work. 

6.  Sight  and  Hearing,  (a)  Physicians  should  co-operate  in 
helping  teachers  to  give  tests  of  vision  and  hearing,  and  in  securing 
treatment  for  those  children  who  need  it.  (6)  Classrooms  with 
special  fighting  and  seating  facihties,  and  teachers  with  special 
training,  should  be  provided  for  the  90  children  discovered  in 
Brookline  with  seriously  defective  vision. 

7.  Fresh  Air  Class.  If  fresh  air  classes  are  to  be  maintained 
they  must  provide  pure  air,  opportunity  for  outdoor  sleep  and  an 
abundance  of  hot  food.  The  class  at  the  Parsons  School  is  neg- 
lected. It  should  either  receive  scientific  attention  or  be 
abofished.  We  suggest  that  in  the  new  elementary  school  build- 
ing recommended  to  take  the  place  of  the  Sewall,  Parsons  and 
Lincoln  Schools,  plans  be  made  to  maintain  a  real  open  air  class 
for  anemic  children,  under  close  medical  supervision. 

8.  Physical  Training  Department.     Closer  co-operation  should 


Summary  of  Conclusions  15 

exist  between  the  Physical  Training  and  the  Medical  Inspection 
Departments.  At  present  each  is  handicapped  by  lack  of  assist- 
ance from  the  other.  Medical  inspectors  should  stimulate,  en- 
courage and  ad\'ise  the  Physical  Training  Department  to  further 
the  health  campaign  by  special  training  for  varying  groups  of 
physically  defective  children. 

9.  Clinics,  (a)  In  sending  children  to  the  dental  clinic  we 
urge  that  work  be  started  with  first-grade  pupils  and  extended 
upward  if  time  permits.  As  first  grades  are  promoted  they  should 
be  followed  up  so  that  eventually  all  children  will  have  received 
dental  care  from  their  first  days  in  school.  The  plan  should  be 
to  concentrate  effort  on  children  whose  teeth  are  still  sound;  to 
prevent  rather  than  attempt  to  cure,  (b)  Eye,  ear-nose-throat, 
and  orthopedic  clinics  should  either  be  estabhshed  in  Brookline,  or 
else  arrangement  should  be  made  by  the  town  to  secure  chnical 
privileges  for  Brookline  children  in  neighboring  cities. 

10.  School  Feeding.  If  the  one-session  plan  is  adhered  to, 
a  system  of  school  lunches  should  be  established,  under  the  direc- 
tion of  a  skilled  dietitian.  Cooking  should  be  done  at  a  central 
kitchen,  and  food  distributed  by  automobile  to  the  dift'erent  school 
buildings.  School  lunches  should  neither  be  made  a  matter  of 
charity  nor  a  commercial  proposition,  but  should  be  regarded  as 
an  important  educational  activity. 

11.  Reorganization.  Reorganization  of  the  Medical  Inspec- 
tion Department  is  an  essential  step  in  the  effort  to  increase 
efficiency.  Changes  must  be  made  along  four  lines:  Increased 
funds,  moie  nurses,  fewer  doctors,  leadership,  (a)  The  question 
of  a  larger  budget  for  health  work  in  the  Brookhne  schools  has 
already  been  under  discussion.  No  effective  organization  can  be 
secured  until  more  money  is  available.  Physicians  should  not  be 
asked  to  give  their  services  at  the  low  rate  of  compensation  now 
offered;  and  if  adequate  services  are  to  be  secured  the  town  must 
offer  salaries  large  enough  to  attract  competent  people.  Medical 
inspection  has  now  outgrown  the  charity  stage  of  development. 
(6)  The  number  of  school  nurses  should  be  increased.  At  least 
two  more  are  needed  on  the  force.  The  State  law  is  somewhat 
obscure  upon  the  question  of  employing  nurses  for  school  service, 


16  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

but  it  is  almost  certainly  true  that  legal  means  may  readily  be 
found  whereby  Brookline  may  increase  her  number  of  school 
nurses.  The  intent  of  the  Massachusetts  law  is  to  encourage, 
not  to  discourage,  the  employment  of  nurses  to  carry  on  pubhc 
health  work.  This  matter  is  so  important  that  steps  should  be 
taken  at  once  towards  making  the  necessary  arrangements  for 
adding  at  least  two  registered  nurses  with  school  experience  to 
the  staff.  No  other  investment  of  public  money  will  yield  so  rich 
a  return  in  improved  health  conditions,  (c)  Brookline  should 
certainly  reduce  the  number  of  inspectors  and  increase  the  time 
required  of  each  one.  No  one  can  do  effective  work  at  a  task  on 
which  he  spends  only  108  hours  a  year,  scattered  over  a  period  of 
nine  months.  There  should  be  at  least  one  physician  in  Brook- 
Une  to  whom  the  health  of  school  children  is  the  biggest  and  most 
important  problem  he  faces.  Medical  inspection  should  be  his 
chief  professional  interest,  (d)  Unless  there  is  some  one  in  the 
BrookUne  system  to  whom  educational  health  service  is  a  personal 
and  vitally  important  matter  there  can  be  little  effective  co- 
operation within  the  staff.  Three  hundred  dollars'  worth  of 
sldlled  leadership  does  not  stretch  very  far;  nor  has  BrookUne  the 
right  to  expect  that  services  will  be  given  free.  It  is  true  in  medi- 
cal inspection  as  in  the  administration  of  schools  that  the  man  at 
the  head  sets  the  pace  and  decides  the  quahty  of  the  work  which 
his  followers  do. 

As  a  tentative  plan  of  reorganization,  the  following  scheme  is 
presented  for  consideration:  1.  Increase  the  medical  inspection 
budget  to  $1  for  every  child.  2.  Secure  the  services  of  two  addi- 
tional school  nurses.  3.  Secure  one  skilled  physician  whose 
specialty  is  educational  health  work,  to  give  full  time,  and  assume 
supervision  of  all  health  activities.  4.  Several  of  the  physicians 
on  the  present  staff  have  speciahzed  in  certain  lines  of  medical 
work.  Their  experience  should  be  available  for  Brookline  chil- 
dren. Arrangements  should  be  made  so  that  the  medical  in- 
spector may  refer  pupils  to  specialists  for  examination  whenever 
need  arises. 

These  suggestions  imply  a  complete  and  radical  reorganiza- 
tion of  the  entire  medical  inspection  work.     They  will  probably 


Summary  of  Conclusions  17 

meet  with  opposition.  Other  plans  will  be  suggested,  and  these 
should  receive  full  consideration.  The  exact  method  to  follow  in 
reorganization  is  difficult  to  decide,  but  the  fact  that  reorganiza- 
tion of  some  sort  must  take  place  stands  out  so  clearly  that  it 
cannot  be  successfully  challenged. 

Kindergartens. 

1.  In  all  of  the  kindergartens  except  the  one  in  the  Manual 
Training  building  unusually  generous  provision  has  been  made 
for  the  comfort  and  health  of  the  pupils.  The  only  handicap  in 
evidence  is  the  lack  of  special  toilets  and  lavatories  for  the  ex- 
clusive use  of  kindergarten  pupils. 

2.  The  small  attendance  in  some  kindergarten  rooms  sug- 
gests the  need  of  some  adjustment  of  district  lines  that  shall 
result  in  a  more  even  balance  in  kindergarten  enrollment.  At  the 
Driscoll  School  one  of  the  two  large  rooms  now  devoted  to  the 
kindergarten  might  easily  be  spared  temporarily  for  the  use  of  a 
primary  grade. 

Brookline  is  exceptionally  generous,  not  only  in  the  number  of 
kindergartens  provided  but  also  in  the  number  of  teachers  and 
helpers  assigned  to  each  kindergarten.  There  is  some  danger 
lest  those  in  charge  give  more  help  than  is  consistent  with  the 
initiative  and  independence  which  the  teachers  evidently  wish  to 
cultivate  in  the  children. 

3.  Except  in  the  Pierce  School  the  kindergarten  sessions  begin 
30  minutes  later  than  the  grade  school  sessions.  There  would 
be  some  advantage  in  having  kindergartens  and  primary  schools 
begin  at  the  same  time. 

4.  The  kindergarten  system  and  work  are  of  the  well-known 
traditional  type.  A  school  system  that  affords  its  teachers  a  wide 
freedom  for  experimentation  may  well  carry  out  a  much  more 
progressive  and  flexible  program  than  is  now  found  in  the  Brook- 
line  kindergartens.  The  teachers  should  hold  program  meetings 
of  their  own.  Brookline's  kindergartens  should  bear  the  Brookline 
stamp. 

5.  The  kindergartens  are  equipped  with  the  most  approved 
modern  apphances,  but  these  appUances  are  used  for  the  most 


is  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

part  in  the  traditional  way.  Weaving,  which  is  one  of  the  Brook- 
line  kindergarten  occupations,  is  of  questionable  value.  The  same 
may  be  said  of  Sewing. 

6.  The  teachers  are  cultivated,  well-educated  women,  skillful 
and  sympathetic  in  their  management  of  children.  The  teachers 
in  one  kindergarten  know  very  little,  however,  about  what  is  being 
done  in  the  other  kindergartens  of  the  town.  This  tends  toward 
an  undesirable  isolation  which  should  be  remedied  by  frequent 
meetings  in  which  program-making,  methods  of  instruction  and 
ends  to  be  achieved  would  be  subjects  for  discussion. 

r  The  Common  Branches. 

1.  The  Course  of  Study  prescribes  Hmits  similar  to  those  set 
in  elementary  schools  generally.  Much  of  the  teaching  ob- 
served was  of  a  high  order  of  excellence;  all  of  it  compares  very 
favorably  with  that  which  one  sees  in  visiting  the  best  schools 
elsewhere.  The  chief  thing  which  impressed  the  Survey  Staff  as 
lacking  was  a  common  aim  and  common  standards  of  achievement. 
This  could  be  remedied  by  outlining  more  definitely  each  subject 
in  the  Course  of  Study.  Much  would  be  gained  by  taking  up  in 
teachers'  meetings  the  preparation  of  a  more  or  less  detailed  syllabus 
for  each  subject. 

2.  Among  the  facts  brought  out  by  the  ''Standard  Tests"  are 
the  following: 

There  is  no  marked  tendency  in  the  results  as  a  whole  to 
fall  above  or  below  the  standards  which  have  been  chosen  for 
comparison.  In  the  Courtis  tests  in  the  four  fundamental  opera- 
tions in  arithmetic  the  Brookline  schools  do  not  come  up  to  the 
standards  of  either  speed  or  accuracy  except  in  the  division  ex- 
amples. On  the  other  hand,  in  the  Stone  test  in  reasoning  Brook- 
line medians  are  well  above  some  of  the  standards  and  are  equal 
to  practically  all. 

In  the  writing  tests  Brookline  results  are  very  close  to  the 
standards  in  regard  to  speed,  but  fall  behind  in  regard  to  quality. 
The  falling  off  is  particularly  noticeable  in  the  seventh  and  eighth 
grades. 

The  results  in  the  reading  tests  show  much  the  same  condi- 


Summary  of  Conclusions  19 

tion.  In  speed,  Brookline  medians  are  approximately  equal  to 
the  standards,  but  they  are  somewhat  behind  in  the  quahty  of 
the  reproduction  of  the  passage  read.  It  should  be  said,  however, 
that  the  differences  in  the  latter  test  are  very  sHght. 

It  is  in  the  tests  of  Composition  and  Spelling  that  Brookline 
makes  the  best  record.  In  the  latter  test,  especially,  the  Brookline 
results  are  far  above  any  of  the  standards. 

One  of  the  most  striking  facts  brought  out  bj^  the  study  is 
that  there  is  a  large  amount  of  variation  in  the  system.  Differ- 
ences in  attainment  are  large  and  frequent,  not  only  between  the 
several  schools,  but  also  between  sections  of  the  same  grade  in 
the  same  school.  The  variations  within  grades  are  sometimes 
greater  than  they  are  between  successive  grades. 

Variations  such  as  these  are  not  necessarily  a  mark  of  poor 
organization  in  a  system.  They  may  be  brought  about  by  natural 
differences  in  school  populations  or  by  the  definite  administrative 
pohcy  of  separating  the  pupils  into  groups  according  to  their 
abilities.  There  is,  however,  no  evidence  that  either  of  these 
causes  operates  to  produce  the  variations  found  in  the  Brookline 
schools. 

It  is  rather  interesting  that,  in  spite  of  the  large  inter-school 
differences,  there  is  no  school  which  stands  out  above  the  others, 
nor  is  there  one  which  uniformly  occupies  a  position  decidedly  lower 
than  the  rest. 

There  seems  to  be  a  sKght  indication  of  a  faUing  off  of  the 
work  in  the  upper  grades.  The  evidence  for  this  is  by  no  means 
conclusive,  for  not  all  the  tests  were  given  in  all  the  grades,  and 
there  are  no  data  at  all  concerning  the  ninth  grade  work.  A  series 
of  tests  running  through  the  ninth  grade  would  furnish  material 
for  further  study  of  this  interesting  problem. 

Suggestions.  The  bearing  of  these  findings  on  the  solution  of 
the  problems  in  the  Brookline  schools  is  necessarily  most  signifi- 
cant to  the  teachers  and  super\'isory  officials  who  are  conversant 
with  the  conditions  in  the  system.  We  venture,  however,  to  make 
the  following  general  suggestions : 

1.  A  pressing  need  exists  for  the  determination  of  the  desir- 
ability of  the  adoption  of  common  standards  of  practice  and.  at- 


20  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

tainment  which  would  tend  to  do  away  with  the  large  variations 
found  at  present  in  the  system. 

2.  If  it  is  found  that  the  differences  are  not  caused  by  con- 
ditions which,  cannot  or  should  not  be  changed,  tentative  stand- 
ards in  each  subject  should  be  formulated  for  the  Brookline 
schools. 

3.  Less  emphasis  should  be  placed  on  the  teaching  of  SpeUing, 
and  more  attention  should  be  given  to  the  study  of  Arithmetic. 
Steps  should  also  be  taken  to  improve  the  quahty  of  the  hand- 
writing. 

4.  In  schools  where  there  are  two  or  more  sections  to  a  grade 
the  uniform  practice  of  separating  the  pupils  according  to  their 
abilities  should  be  estabhshed. 

Drawing  and  Handwork. 
1.  The  close  relation  between  Drawing  and   Handwork  is 
recognized  in  the  fact  that  they  are  outhned  together. 

^  2.  The  aim  of  the  Drawing  seems  to  be  well  balanced. 

3.  There  are  opportunities  for  more  correlation  than  is  found 
in  practice  or  than  is  Ukely  to  occur  without  additional  supervision. 

4.  The  Handwork  is  meager  in  material  and  content.  A 
course  rich  in  content  and  broad  in  scope  of  materials  is  desirable, 
so  that  by  means  of  projects  dealing  with  food,  clothing,  shelter 
and  transportation  it  may  assist  in  interpreting  to  the  child  the 
simple  facts  and  meaning  of  the  Hfe  surrounding  him. 

5.  Supervision  of  Handwork  and  Drawing  might  be  provided 
for  in  one  properly  trained  person,  who  would  represent  both 
departments,  as  an  assistant  supervisor. 

Drawing  in  the  Grammar  Grades. 

1.  Within  the  hmitations  under  which  the  work  is  carried 
out,  it  is  creditable,  but  correlation  with  other  school  activities, 
such  as  Manual  Training,  Sewing  and  Domestic  Science,  would 
add  values  to  Drawing  that  cannot  be  reaUzed  at  present. 

2.  In  the  upper  grades,  Dramng  could  be  taught  to  best 
advantage  by  a  special  teacher.  The  Junior  High  School  organiza- 
tion would  provide  suitable  studios  and  special  teachers. 


Summary  of  Conclusions  21 

3.  The  supervision  of  primary  and  grammar  school  Drawing 
should  be  considered  as  a  common  problem. 

Manual  Training  in  Grades  V  to  IX. 

1.  Manual  Training  in  Brookline  varies  as  to  the  grades  in 
which  it  is  taught  in  different  schools,  the  length  of  periods  for 
the  same  grades  in  different  schools,  and  the  varying  courses  used 
by  the  teachers. 

2.  The  materials  and  processes  employed  in  the  Manual  Train- 
ing are  too  limited  in  scope,  and  in  the  interests  they  can  develop, 
to  reflect  as  they  should  the  significant  activities  of  the  large 
metropolitan  center  of  which  BrookUne  is  a  part. 

3.  Additional  equipment  required  to  broaden  the  scope  of 
the  work  would  not  be  expensive. 

4.  A  competent  supervisor  should  be  employed  who  might 
direct  the  manual  and  technical  work  of  the  school  system. 

5.  This  work  in  the  seventh,  eighth  and  ninth  years  could  be 
most  adequately  developed  in  a  Junior  High  School  organization. 

Grades  VIII  and  IX. 

1.  To  gain  promotion  to  the  high  school  in  BrookUne,  pupils 
not  only  must  complete  the  ninth  grade,  securing  the  diploma, 
but  must  also  secure  the  ^'certificate  to  high  school."  Thus  many 
pupils  who  would  be  admitted  to  the  high  school  of  any  other 
school  system  are  here  excluded.  It  is  recommended  that  the 
^'certificate  to  high  school"  be  abolished,  or  else  that  it  operate  to 
exclude  only  from  the  college  preparatory  courses  in  the  high 
school. 

2.  There  is  great  unevenness  in  the  size  of  classes  in  Grades 
VIII  and  IX  in  different  schools.  Some  reorganization  should  be 
attempted  to  reduce  the  present  disparity. 

3.  EKmination  of  pupils  from  school  in  the  upper  grades, 
quite  noticeable  in  seventh  and  eighth,  is  most  marked  in  the 
ninth  grade.  Some  form  of  reorganization  should  be  attempted 
to  so  mediate  the  passage  from  Grade  VII  to  high  school  as  to 
prolong  the  schoohng  of  a  greater  proportion  of  pupils  than  now 
survive  Grade  IX. 


22  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

4.  Pupils  in  the  Brookline  school  system  on  completing  the 
elementary  school  course  are  in  at  least  half  of  the  cases  one  year 
or  more  older  than  the  '^normal  age"  for  completing  the  ele- 
mentary school  course  in  the  United  States.  As  the  15  and 
16-year-old  pupils  of  the  Brookhne  ninth  grade  are  plainly 
of  ''high  school  age,"  such  upper  grade  reorganization  should  be 
effected  as  will  place  these  pupils  in  a  situation  more  nearly  resem- 
bhng  high  school  conditions. 

0.  Brookline's  poUcy  of  giving  to  pupils  of  Grades  VIII  and 
,  IX  choice  among  the  three  courses  offered  is  commended.  Since, 
however,  no  single  school  offers  all  three  of  the  courses  and  since 
there  appears  to  be  httle  or  no  transferring  of  pupils  from  one 
school  to  another  to  get  educational  experiences  not  available  in 
the  pupil's  local  school,  one  of  the  chief  merits  of  the  plan,  the 
^'prevocational  try-out"  feature,  is  practically  eliminated.  Here, 
again,  some  reorganization  should  be  attempted  which  would 
really  open  choice  of  all  possibihties  to  every  pupil. 

6.  The  collection  of  all  eighth  and  ninth  or  seventh,  eighth 
and  ninth  grade  classes  into  a  single  center  would  afford  oppor- 
tunity for  administering  the  differentiation  of  courses  in  the  most 
effective  manner;  would  make  further  differentiation  possible  with- 
out added  expense;  would  enable  those  in  charge  to  equaUze  the 
size  of  classes;  would  so  mediate  the  passage  of  pupils  from  Grade 
VII  to  high  school  as  to  reduce  elimination;  and  would  bring  all 
pupils  of  ''high  school  age"  under  high  school  conditions. 

To  accomphsh  these  ends  the  Survey  Staff  recommends  that 
such  a  collection  of  upper  grade  classes  in  a  single  center  be  made. 

7.  Grade  IX  is  costly  and  it  is  unnecessary.  It  is  rapidly 
disappearing  from  its  only  former  stronghold,  the  New  England 
States.  It  might  be  considered  a  worthy  extension  of  pubhc 
school  opportunities  if  Brookhne  possessed  no  high  school,  but 
Brookhne  has  a  high  school  and  a  School  of  Practical  Arts,  and  it 
can  without  added  expense  have  a  ver}^  valuable  new  school 
capable  of  being  administered  in  such  a  way  as  to  add  greatly  to 
the  educational  advantages  now  open  to  Brookhne  children  while 
saving  a  year  of  their  time. 

This  new  school,   already  widely  adopted  throughout   the 


Summary  of  Conclusions  23 

United  States,  embraces  three  intermediate  grades  of  a  12 
grade  system,  and  is  known  as  the  Junior  High  School.  Below 
it  are  six  grades  known  as  the  Elementary  School,  and  above  it 
are  the  three  grades  known  as  the  Senior  High  School. 

The  Survey  Committee  recommends  that  Brookline  drop  the 
ninth  grade  and .  adopt  that  form  of  the  12-grade  organization 
known  as  the  Six-Three-Three,  or  Junior  High  School  plan. 

9.  In  view  of  Brookhne's  increasing  population,  the  high 
school  will  soon  be  filled  to  its  capacity  with  the  last  three  grades 
only;  and  unless  Brookhne's  experience  in  the  next  10  years  is 
altogether  different  from  that  of  practically  all  other  progressive 
cities,  she  is  certain,  if  she  introduces  the  Junior  High  School  unit, 
to  see  her  school  grades  from  the  seventh  grade  up  increase  in 
enrollment  at  a  much  more  rapid  rate  than  they  have  heretofore 
increased,  and  also  at  a  more  rapid  rate  than  the  population 
increases. 

10.  In  view  of  the  foregoing,  (the  Survey  Committee  recom- 
mends  that  early  steps  be  taken  to  secure  land  in  the  vicinity  of 
the  high  school  and  the  School  of  Practical  Arts,  and  that  the 
School  Committee  erect  thereon  the  best  type  of  modern  school 
for  intermecUate  grades  that  architects  have  developed;  and  that 
by  such  gradual  steps  as  will  be  least  disturbing  to  the  system  as  a 
whole  the  grades  above  the  sixth,  including  the  ninth  till  elimi- 
nated, together  with  the  present  high  school  first-year  class,  be 
housed  therein;  that  later,  as  recommended  in  the  chapter  on 
buildings,  but  before  the  high  school  again  becomes  overcrowded 
with  its  three  grades,  plans  be  drawn  for  a  high  school  building 
such  as  Brookline  should  have,  and  that  it  be  erected  in  two  suc- 
cessive sections,  utilizing  the  present  commanding  site  and  addi- 
tional ground  at  the  rear. 

The  High  School. 
Brookline  has  made  commendable  progress  in  expanding  the 
high  school  program  of  studies  to  meet  new  social  needs  manifest 
in  the  community.  There  is,  however,  an  extensive  elimination 
of  the  over-normal-aged  pupils  as  the  entrants  pass  up  through  the 
high  school  grades,  which  might  be  so  reduced,  if  the  reorganiza- 


'24  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

tion  recomir. ended  in  this  report  is  effected,  so  as  to  give  Brookline 
an  altogether  unique  rank  among  cities  in  holding  pupils  to  high 
school  graduation.  Some  modification  of  courses  as  recommended 
-in  this  report  would,  it  is  believed,  add  to  the  holding  power  of  the 
-school.  All  curricula  except  those  specifically  vocational  should 
ibe  regarded  as  suggestions  rather  than  prescriptions  and  adminis- 
tered in  no  rigid  and  inflexible  manner,  but  with  full  regard  to  the 
continuous  readjustment  of  educational  means  to  the  developing 
and  changing  needs  of  adolescence. 

The  school  is  handicapped  both  in  building  and  equipment. 
The  deficiencies  in  equipment  pointed  out  in  this  report  should  be 
remedied,  but  it  is  recommended  that  no  further  expense  be 
incurred  in  remodehng  the  building. 

The  organization  and  management  of  the  high  school  are,  on 
the  whole,  good.  Some  improvements  are,  however,  suggested. 
Among  these  are  more  frequent  faculty  conferences,  a  clearer 
understanding  of  the  function  of  a  head  of  department,  more  co- 
operation among  departments,  more  uniform  allotment  of  pupils 
per  teacher,  elimination  of  over-small  and  over-large  classes,  and  a 
more  democratic  grouping  of  pupils  into  recitation  sections.  This 
xeport  commends  the  co-educational  plan  in  vogue  in  the  Brook- 
line High  School,  and  it  recommends  the  official  recognition  of 
the  most  suitable  woman  member  of  the  faculty  as  Dean  of  Girls. 
The  discipHne  of  the  school  deserves  high  commendation.  In 
personality,  in  preparation  for  their  work  and  in  practical  skill, 
the  faculty  of  the  school  appear  distinctly  superior  to  the  average 
city  high  school  faculty.  The  enhghtened  policy  of  the  School 
Committee  which  leaves  the  Superintendent  free  to  use  his  best 
judgment  in  this  most  deUcate  task  of  selecting  teachers  is  worthy 
of  note  at  this  point. 

The  School  of  Practical  Arts. 
1.  The  aim  of  the  school  is  conmiendable,  but  the  school 
reaches  only  a  small  number  of  the  children  it  should  serve. 
Being  unrelated  to  the  grammar  school  or  the  high  school,  it  is 
hindered  in  attempts  to  increase  enrollment.  The  stigma  of 
inferiority  also  hinders  the  increase  of  enrollment.     The  school 


Summary  of  Conclusions  25 

should  be  organized  as  an  essential  part  of  the  school  system,  rather 
than  as  a  separate  institution. 

2.  A  study  of  the  occupations  of  citizens  and  parents  of  school 
children  indicates : 

(a)  The  occupations  of  Brookhne  residents  are  varied. 

(6)  The  population  changes. 

(c)  Brookhne  residents  are  employed  largely  in  the  metro- 
politan district  rather  than  in  the  town  itself. 

{d)  About  45  per  cent  of  the  parents  of  children  in  the  seventh, 
eighth  and  ninth  grades  are  foreign  born. 

3.  The  range  of  activities  given  in  the  school  is  too  hmited 
to  afford  adequate  try-out  experience.  The  varied  occupations 
of  the  residents  of  Brookhne,  and  the  wide  range  of  vocations  the 
children  expect  to  enter  call  attention  to  the  need  for  a  reason- 
able range  of  courses  in  the  grammar  and  high  school. 

4.  As  many  of  the  children  cannot  take  full  advantage  of  the 
present  school  system  because  of  the  emphasis  on  preparation  for 
higher  institutions,  very  practical  courses  should  be  offered,  begin- 
ning with  the  seventh  grade  and  extending  through  the  high  school. 

5.  These  practical  courses  should  offer  a  try-out  experience 
in  a  series  of  the  important  activities  listed  in  the  tables.  This 
experience  should  be  offered  to  all  children  who  may  elect  the 
Practical  Arts  course.  The  exercise  type  of  work  given  at  present 
to  high  school  pupils  should  not  be  given  to  Practical  Arts  pupils. 

6.  For  the  children  who  desire  special  training  in  certain  im- 
portant vocations,  industrial  training  courses  should  be  organized 
to  follow  the  try-out  experiences.  A  continuation  of  the  Practical 
Arts  course  from  the  special  training  stage  should  be  in  the  form 
of  a  technical  course.  These  courses  are  shown  in  relation  in  a 
diagram  on  page  399. 

7.  The  arrangement  of  rooms  and  equipment  (see  page  387) 
does  not  make  for  the  best  possible  use  of  the  plant.  The  prefer- 
ence in  use  of  rooms  and  equipment  accorded  to  the  high  school 
hampers  the  development  of  the  work  in  Practical  Arts. 

8.  To  offer  special  courses  and  to  provide  suitable  equipment 
for  them,  it  would  be  necessary  to  center  all  seventh,  eighth  and 
ninth  grade  work  in  one  plant.    Such  a  building  properly  equipped 


26  School  Survey  of  Erookline 

would  be  known  as  a  Junior  High  School.  The  present  Senior 
High  School  would,  as  now,  include  the  Manual  Training  High 
School  and  would  continue  the  Practical  Arts  work  of  the  tenth, 
eleventh  and  twelfth  years. 

9.  The  School  of  Practical  Arts  would  be  absorbed  as  an 
important  course  in  the  Junior  and  Senior  High  Schools,  instead 
of  remaining  an  isolated  institution  with  a  three-year  course. 
The  equipment  of  the  present  Manual  Training  High  School  would 
be  available  for  all  of  the  industrial  and  technical  training  and 
for  try-out  experiences  until  the  capacity  of  the  plant  is  fully  used. 
When  additional  shop  capacity  is  required,  a  third  story  might 
be  added  or  else  elementary  shops  with  inexpensive  equipment 
should  be  provided  in  the  Junior  High  School  for  the  try-out 
experiences. 

A  Demonstration  School  for  Brookline. 

As  a  result  of  an  educational  survey,  something  of  a  practical 
nature  should  follow  not  only  in  the  matter  of  buildings,  organiza- 
tion and  general  directions  as  to  educational  policy,  but  in  addi- 
tion something  that  would  afford  a  continuous  opportunity  to 
test  and  demonstrate  the  best  things  capable  of  being  done  in  the 
town  of  BrookUne  itself. 

Other  cities,  Detroit  and  Boston,  for  instance,  and  a  number 
of  smaller  cities  have  established  departments  of  reference  and 
research  which  deal  extensively  with  the  particular  school  system 
as  a  whole.  A  demonstration  school  would  deal  intensively  with 
a  problem  under  controlled  conditions.  The  results  in  Boston 
and  Detroit  are  published,  and  to  a  certain  extent  Brookline  can 
share  the  benefit  of  their  findings.  But  this  is  not  enough.  There 
are  certain  problems  that  Detroit's  efficiency  office  and  Boston's 
efficiency  office  cannot  solve  for  Brookline.  These  problems  must 
be  solved  by  Brookline  and  in  Brookline.  There  are  other  prob- 
lems which  no  school  system  has  yet  imdertaken  to  solve.  Here 
lies  Brookline's  opportunity,  not  only  to  benefit  her  own  schools, 
but,  through  publication  of  results  to  make  a  unique  contribution 
to  the  cause  of  pubfic  education.  Her  wealth  and  her  standing 
among  progressive  American  communities  lead  one  to  expect 
from  her  some  noteworthy  contribution  to  the  general  welfare. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE   BROOKLINE   COMMUNITY. 

In  order  to  answer  the  questionj  What  kind  of  a  school 
system  should  Brookline  have?  it  is  necessary  to  ascertain  as 
definitely  and  precisely  as  possible  all  the  facts  that  can  readily 
be  gathered  regarding  Brookhne  —  its  people,  their  occupations, 
-their  wealth,  the  opporturiities  open  to  their  children  and  what- 
ever else  of  a  social,  economic  or  other  nature  that  will  throw 
hght  on  the  question. 

From  whatever  angle  one  considers  the  people  and  the  Ufe 
of  Brookline,  its  close  relations  with  the  city  of  Boston  are  ever 
prominent.  Its  life  is  in  many  respects  a  part  of  the  metropolitan 
life.  The  closeness  and  intimacy  of  the  two  are  represented  phys- 
ically I)}'  the  indistinguishableness  of  the  boundary  lines;  several 
miles  of  them  are  in  the  middle  of  populated  blocks.  The  men 
have  their  business  or  their  industry  in  the  city  and  their  resi- 
dence in  the  town  because  of  the  superior  advantages  afforded 
as  regards  health,  beauty,  morals,  and  social  contact.  This  is 
true  of  the  people  with  means  and  culture.  People  of  less  wealth 
have  been  attracted  by  opportunities  to  work  upon  estates,  upon 
the  street  car  line  that  has  a  terminal  in  the  town,  and  in  the 
homes  of  the  more  well  to  do. 

In  studying  the  social  and  economic  situation  of  any  city 
in  an  attempt  to  ascertain  the  conditions  which  limit  and  cir- 
cumscribe and  determine  the  organization  and  operation  of  the 
schools  we  find  it  advantageous  to  compare  with  it  other  munici- 
palities on  the  assumption  that  there  are  many  common  situa- 
tions and  experiences  in  each  and  all  and  that  we  are  better  able 
to  understand  each  better  in  the  fight  of  all  the  others.  For 
purposes  of  comparison  we  have  chosen  two  groups  of  cities. 
The  first  is  composed  of  all  the  51  cities  in  the  United  States 
including  BrookUne  which  had  a  population  in  1910  of  25,000 

27 


28 


School  Survey  of  Brookline 


or  over  and  less  than  31,000.  This  group  furnishes  a  general 
measure,  nation  wide,  with  which  Brookline  is  most  closely  com- 
parable. This  group  of  cities  is  given  here  together  with  their 
population. 

TABLE  NO.  1. 

All  Cities  Between  25,000  and  31,000 
Population  in  1910. 


Population 
1910 

1.  Mt.  Vernon,  N.Y.  .  ..  30,919  27. 

2.  Lima,  Ohio 30,508  28. 

3.  Niagara  Falls,  N.Y...  30,445  29. 

4.  LaCrosse,  Wis 30,417  30. 

5.  Newport,  Ky 30,309  31. 

6.  Pasadena,  Gal 30,291  32. 

7.  Austin,  Tex 29,860  33. 

8.  Aurora,  111 29,807  34. 

9.  Orange,  N.  J 29,630  35. 

10.  Lynchburg,  Va 29,494  36. 

11.  Council  Bluffs,  la 29,292  37. 

12.  Colorado  Springs,  Colo.  29,078  38. 

13.  San  Jose,  Cal 28,946  39. 

14.  Lorain,  Ohio 28,883  40. 

15.  New  Rochelle,  N.  Y .  .  .  28,867  41. 

16.  Easton,  Pa. 28,523       '    42. 

17.  Norwich  (Town),  Conn.  28,219  43. 

18.  ZanesviUe,  Ohio 28,026  44. 

19.  Shreveport,  La 28,015  45. 

20.  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y. .  .  27,936  46. 

21.  Norristown  (Boro.),Pa.  27,875  47. 

22.  Danville,  111 27,871  48. 

23.  Waltham,  Mass 27,834  49. 

24.  Newburgh,  N.  Y 27,805  50. 

25.  Brookline,  Mass 27,792  51. 

26.  Meriden  (City),  Conn.  27,265 


Population 
1910 

Newport,  R.  1 27,149 

Watertown,  N.  Y 26,730 

Waterloo,  la 26,693 

Warwick  Town,  R.  I . .  26,629 

Waco,  Tex 26,425 

Sheboygan,  Wis 26,398 

Columbia,  S.  C 26,319 

South  Omaha,  Neb.  .  .  26,259 

Lewiston,  Me 26,247 

Nashua,  N.H 26,005 

Elgin,  lU 25,976 

Kingston,  N.  Y 25,908 

Shenandoah  (Boro.),Pa.  25,774 

Bloomington,  111 25,768 

Wihnington,  N.  C.  .  .  .  25,748 

Ogden,  Vt 25,580 

Clinton,  la 25,557 

Madison,  Wis 25,531 

Hazleton,  Pa 25,452 

Newark,  Ohio 25,404 

Chicopee,  Mass 25,401 

Muskogee,  Okla 25,278 

Battle  Creek,  Mich.  .  .  25,267 

Green  Bay,  Wis 25,236 

Stamford  (City) ,  Conn.  25, 1 38 


The  second  group  is  composed  of  the  cities  most  like  Brookline 
as  regards  wealth,  intelligence,  proximity  to  urban  centers, 
number  of  commercial  and  industrial  establishments,  and  reputa- 
tion of  schools  —  17  cities  in  all.  This  group  provides  a  com- 
parative measure  for  Brookline  which  is  superior  to  the  former 


The  Brookline  Community  .  29 

group  in  that  the  cities  contained  in  it  are  of  more  nearly  iden- 
tical condition.  Two  larger  cities  have  been  included  in  the  form 
of  an  addendum  —  Boston  because  of  its  proximity  and  the 
close  relations  existing  between  it  and  Brookline;  and  Los  Angeles, 
because  of  its  many  points  of  resemblance  in  the  point  of  wealth, 
intelligence,  social  composition,  and  cost  of  schools.  The  cities, 
in  the  second  group  and  the  population  of  each  are  as  follows: 

TABLE  NO.  2. 

Special  Group  of  17  Selected  Cities 

AND  their  Population  in  1910. 

Population  Pomilatiort. 

1910  1910 

1.  Springfield,  Mass 88,926  11.  Madison,  Wis 25,531 

2.  Yonkers,  N.  Y 79,803  12.  Evanston,  lU 24,978 

3.  Berkeley,  Cal 40,434  13.  Montclair,  N.  J 21,550- 

4.  Newton,  Mass 39,806  14.  Oak  Park,  111 19,444 

5.  San  Diego,  Cal 39,578  15.  White  Plains,  N.  Y. .  .     15,94^ 

6.  East  Orange,  N.  J.  .  .  .     34,371  16.  Milton,  Mass 7,924 

7.  Pasadena,  Cal 30,291  17.  Wellesley,  Mass 5,413 

8.  Colorado  Springs,  Colo.     29,078  „    ,       ,,  ^^^  ^o^ 

9.  NewRochelle,N.Y...     28,867  Boston,  Mass^. 670,585 

10.  BrookUr^,  Mas 27,792  ^^«  ^^^^^^'^  ^^ ^^^'^^^ 

Nativity  of  the  Population. 
The  population  of  Brookhne  is  not  so  distinctly  American 
in  stock  as  the  reputation  of  the  town  for  wealth  and  culture 
would  indicate.  Thirty  per  cent  of  its  population,  according  to 
the  census  of  1910,  are  foreign  born;  of  the  51  cities  in  the  national 
group  but  10  have  a  larger  proportion  of  such  nativity.  This 
large  proportion  of  foreign  birth  is  even  more  conspicuous  in  the 
selected  group  of  cities;  New  Rochelle  and  Yonkers  alone  have 
larger  proportions.  This  excess  of  foreign  born  is  offset  in  part 
by  smaller  percentages  of  native  born  of  foreign  or  mixed  parentage- 
and  also  of  negroes.  Thirty  of  the  51  cities  in  the  first  group 
and  11  of  the  17  in  the  second  group  have  a  larger  proportion 
of  native  born  of  foreign  parents,  while  32  of  the  first  group  and 
10  of  the  second  group  have  a  larger  proportion  of  negroes.  In 
its  proportion  of  native  born  of  native  parents  Brookhne  is  near 


30 


School  Survey  of  Brookline 


the  mean  in  both  groups,  the  twenty-eighth  city  in  the  national 
and  eighth  city  in  the  selected  group.  The  tables  presenting  the 
detailed  facts  for  the  former  group  from  which  these  deductions 

are  drawn  are  given  in  the  appendix,  Table  1 ;  the  table  for  the 
latter  group  is  presented  herewith: 

TABLE  NO.  S. 

Nativity  of  the  Population  of  17 

Selected  Cities. 

■ -Native  White > 

Foreign  Foreign 

Native        or  Mixed  Born 

Cities                                    Parentage      Parentage  White  Negro 

1.  Yonkers 27.1               37.5  33.3  1.9 

2.  New  Rochelle 29.7              34.1  30.1  6.1 

3.  Brookline 4^-8              27.3  30.0  0.8 

4.  WeUesley 41.3              29.3  28.8  0.5 

5.  Newton. 40.9              29.7  28.1  1.2 

6.  Milton ..     42.2              29.6  27.6  0.5 

T.Springfield 40.2              32.2  25.9  1.7 

8.  Montclair 41.6              22.9  23.8  11.5     " 

9.  Evanston,  111 40.7              31.7  22.8  4.7 

10.  Berkeley,  Cal 48.2              29.3  18.9  0.6 

11.  San  Diego 57.0              21.6  18.6  1.5 

12.  Oak  Park 48.7              33.6  17.1  0.6 

13.  East  Orange 53.1               24.7  16.5  5.5 

14.  White  Plains 42.5              40.2  16.3  0.6 

15.  Madison,  Wis 42.6              40.3  16.3  0.6 

16.  Pasadena 62.8               19.4  14.2  2.5 

17.  Colorado  Springs,  Col 67 . 4               18.4  10.3  3.8 

Boston 23.5               38.3  35.9  2.0 

Los  Angeles 53.2              23.4  19.0  2.4 

United  States  —  Urban 41.9              29.0  22.6  6.3 

Cities  25,000-100,000 45 . 9              26 . 5  20 . 2  7.3 

New  England  —  Urban. ...     23 . 9              34 . 2  30 . 7  1.1 

Cities  25,000-100,000 30 . 5              35 . 2  33 . 3  1.0 


When  compared  with  New  England  standards,  however, 
Brookline  is  observed  to  be  more  distinctly  American.  Of  the 
20  cities  in  Massachusetts  having  in  1910  a  population  of  from 
25,000  to  100,000  only  Haverhill  and  Pittsfield  have  a  larger 


The  Brookline  Community  31 

proportion  of  native  whites  born  of  native  parents.  Then,  loo, 
the  percentage  of  foreign  born  decreased  two  per  cent  in  BrookHne 
during  the  decade  1900-1910,  while  in  Massachusetts  it  increased 
1.3  per  cent.  The  American  stock  in  BrookHne,  moreover,  in- 
creased during  the  decade  1900-1910,  while  in  Massachusetts  as 
a  whole  it  decreased.  It  is  evident  that  the  immigration  of 
foreigners  into  New  England  has  not  invaded  Brookhne  to  so 
great  an  extent  as  the  typical  New  England  city. 

An  analysis  of  the  foreign-born  population  reveals  a  more 
favorable  situation  than  exists  in  most  cities.  But  three  per  cent 
of  its  foreign  born  are  from  eastern  and  southern  Europe  as 
opposed  to  20  per  cent  for  New  England  and  about  25  per  cent 
for  the  United  States.  Approximately  five-sixths  of  this  group 
of  its  population  are  from  Enghsh-spealdng  nationalities. 

TABLE  NO.  4. 

Table  No.  4.     Foreigx-Born  Population  of 
BROOKLINE  by  Country  of  Birth. 

Total  foreign  born 8,401  Hungary 6 

Austria ." 21  Ireland 4,203 

-Canada,  French 71  Italy 43 

Canada,  other 2,047  Netherlands 10 

English,  Scotch  and  Welsh .  .  830  Norway,  Sweden,  Denmark .  .  527 

France 38  Russia  and  Finland 131 

Germany 296  Turkey 29 

Greece 36  All  other  countries 113 

The  Children:  Turning  next  to  those  of  school  age  we  find 
that  10  per  cent  of  the  population  from  six  to  20  years  are  of 
foreign  birth.  The  per  cent  (47)  that  are  native  born  of  foreign 
or  mixed  parentage  is  greater  than  those  of  native  parentage., 
42  per  cent. 


32 


School  Survey  of  Brookline 


TABLE  NO.  5. 

Number  and  Per  Cent  of  Population  Six  to  20  Years 

OF  x\ge  in  brookline  in  1910,  by  Nativity, 

Compared  with  Urban  United  States  and  New 

England,  United  States  Census,  1910. 

(Abstract  —  Pages  229  and  233.) 

Per  Cent  Per  Cent 

for  Urban  for  Urban- 

Brookline               United  New 

No.           Per  Cent          States  England 

AH  classes 5,766               ...  ... 

Native  white  —  native  parentage  ^,^5^              42.4.              49.0  0.33 
Native  white  —  foreign  or  mixed 

parentage 2,709              47.2              39.0  0.51 

Foreign  born  white 583              10.0                7.0  0.16 

Negroes 21                O.4               5.0  0.1 

When  comparison  is  made  with  the  percentages  of  all  cities^ 
in  the  United  States  it  is  seen  that  the  school  population  of  Brook- 
hne  has  10  per  cent  more  children  of  foreign  birth  or  whose  parents, 
one  or  both,  are  of  foreign  birth  than  cities  as  a  whole.  But 
again,  when  comparison  is  made  with  cities  in  New  England,. 
Brookline  makes  a  more  favorable  showing  as  regards  per  cent, 
of  native  American  stock  by  as  much  as  nine  per  cent. 


Large  Proportion  of  Females. 
One  of  the  striking  things  about  the  people  of  Brookhne  is 
the  large  number  of  females  in  proportion  to  the  number  of 
males.  Of  the  27,792  people  in  the  town  in  1910,  16,754  were- 
women  or  girls  —  a  proportion  of  only  65.9  males  to  100  females. 
This  is  the  smallest  of  all  cities  of  from  25,000  to  31,000  popula- 
tion in  the  United  States  and  also  of  all  cities  in  the  selective 
group.  Wellesley  is  the  nearest  city,  with  a  proportion  of  74.4, 
but  there  is  none  other  less  than  80  in  the  two  groups.  The 
United  States  urban  standard  is  101.7,  while  that  for  New  England 
urban  is  97.8.  This  marked  deficiency  in  males  does  not  obtain, 
however,  wdth  those  of  school  age.  The  school  census,  five  to 
15  years  inclusive,  for  1915  shows  2226  boys,  2263  girls,  a  pro- 
portion of  98.4.     Another  interesting  feature  is  the  very  large 


The  Brookline  Community  33 

per  cent  of  unmarried  females  —  53.9;  again  a  larger  per  cent 
than  in  either  of  the  groups  of  cities  chosen  for  comparison.  The 
nearest  city  is  Newton,  with  46.1  per  cent,  but  none  other  is 
higher  than  40.  The  United  States  urban  standard  is  32.8. 
{Note:  Abstract  Census  1910,  pages  104  and  105.) 

Small  Proportion  op  Children. 

No  less  striking  is  the  small  number  of  children.  Brookline 
is  again  at  the  extreme.  No  other  city  in  either  group  has  so 
small  a  percentage  of  its  total  population  between  the  ages  of 
five  and  14,  inclusive,  or  below  15  years  of  age.  Some  cities  have 
almost  twice  as  large  a  proportion  as  Brookline  which  are 
12.9  and  19.3  per  cent  respectively.  (See  appendix,  Tables  2 
and  3.) 

It  is  a  town  in  which  the  number  of  people  below  25  is  small 
and  the  number  above  25  is  large  as  compared  with  cities  in 
general  in  the  United  States.  The  deficiency  among  those 
below  15  is  eight  in  100  and  below  25,  10  in  100.  On  the 
other  hand,  out  of  100  people  there  are  four  more  between 
the  ages  of  25  and  44,  and  four  more  between  45  and  64,  and  two 
more  above  65  than  are  generally  found  in  cities.  When  com- 
pared with  New  England  cities  the  same  deficiency  below  15 
is  found,  although  in  other  respects  the  de\aation  from  the  norm 
is  less  except  in  the  case  of  those  from  25  to  44  years  of  age. 

TABLE  NO.  6. 

Percentage    of    Population   According    to  Age  in 

BROOKLINE,  United  States  and  New  England 

Urban  Communities. 

Betv)een  Between  Between  Between  65  and 

Under  5     5  and  14-  15  and  24  25  and  44  4^  c-^^  6 4  over 

Brookline...     6.4            12.9  18.2            37.0            19.6  5.8, 

United  States  9.9             17.4  20.1             33.2             15.2  4.0 

New  England  9.9             17.4  18.8            32.3             16.5  5.1. 


34 


School  Survey  of  Brookline 


Percentage    of    Population    Under  25  and    25   and    Over 
•    In  brookline,  Compared  With  Like  Percentages 
For  the  United  States  and 
New  England. 


Under  25 


25  OR  Over 


37.5 


Brookline 


62.5 


Superior  Intelligence  of  People. 

That  the  people  of  Brookline  are  unusually  intelligent  is 
e\adent  from  two  sets  of  facts.  It  has  the  lowest  per  cent  of 
illiteracy  among  its  foreign  born  of  all  cities  in  the  United  States 
above  25,000  population,  and  there  are  only  three  cities  which 
have  a  lower  per  cent  for  all  classes  in  the  population,  Battle 
Creek,  Mich.,  Dubuque,  la.,  and  Colorado  Springs,  Colo.  The 
figures  for  Brookline  and  for  urban  United  States  and  New  Eng- 
land follow: 

TABLE  NO.  7. 

Percentage  of  Illiteracy  in  BROOKLINE,  Compared 

WITH  Urban  United  States  and  Urban 

New  England. 

Illiteracy  Among  Brookline  United  States  New  England 

Total  number 1.0  5.1  5.6 

Native  white 0.1  0.8  1.5 

Foreign  born 2.6  12.6  13.7 

Negro 0.5  17.6  7.1 


The  Brookline  Community  35 

The  large  percentage  of  superior  intelligence  is  indicated 
by  the  number  of  its  citizens  whose  names  appear  in  ''Who's 
Who  in  America."  The  edition  for  1914-15  contains  the 
names  of  170  people  whose  residence  is  given  as  Brookline.  The 
most  recent  edition  combines  Brookline  with  Boston  in  this 
respect  and  it  is  very  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  to  isolate  those 
living  in  Brookline.  But,  taking  the  number  given  as  residing 
in  all  other  cities  in  the  latest  edition  and  using  170  as  the  number 
for  Brookline,  the  figures  warrant  the  assertion  that  no  other 
city  in  either  group,  one  of  which  was  selected  in  part  on  the 
basis  of  reputed  inteUigence  of  its  people,  has  so  large  a  number 
of  names  in  this  ''biography  of  eminent  m.en"  in  proportion 
to  its  population  as  has  Brookline. 

The  Occupations  of  the  People. 

The  next  question  which  arises  naturally  out  of  what  has 
already  been  said  is,  "W^hat  do  these  people  do  to  make  their 
hving?"  In  the  first  place  it  is  to  be  said  that  as  compared  with 
other  cities  in  the  national  and  selected  groups  Brookline  seems 
to  be  a  town  in  which  the  men  are  freed  from  the  necessity  of 
entering  a  "gainful  occupation"  to  a  greater  extent  than  are 
the  women.  In  but  seven  of  the  50  cities  in  the  wider  group 
and  in  but  four  of  14  cities  in  the  selected  group  are  smaller  per- 
centages of  m.en  engaged  in  work.  In  BrookUne  this  figure  is 
76.5.  On  the  other  hand,  with  the  women  there  is  no  city  in  the 
first  and  but  three  in  the  second  group  where  larger  proportions 
of  females  are  at  work  —  the  percentage  being  39.6.  This  posi- 
tion of  Brookline  is  m;odified  somewhat,  though  but  slightly, 
by  correcting  for  the  large  number  of  servants  as  made  above. 
The  corrected  figure  would  be  near  32.5  per  cent  and  this  would 
place  two  of  the  first  group  (Boston  and  Newton)  and  nine  of 
the  second  group  ahead  of  Brookline.  The  following  table, 
No.  8  gives  the  proportionate  number  engaged  in  each  large 
group  of  occupations  as  determined  by  the  United  States  Census 
Office,  and  also  the  proportion  for  cities  of  the  United  States 
as  given  in  the  Salt  Lake  Survey,  page  17. 


36  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

TABLE  NO.  8. 

Number  Engaged  in  BROOKLINE  in  Each  Occupa- 
tion FOR  Each  1000  Employed*. 

■ Males V  . Females ^ 

In             In  all  In               In  all 

Brookline     Cities  Brookline         Cities 

1.  Agriculture  and  animal  hus- 

bandry          40  10  1  2 

2.  Extraction  of  minerals 2  6  0  0 

3.  Manufacturing  and  mechani- 

cal industries 224  473  70  313 

4.  Transportation 110  119  12  18 

5.  Trade 287  175  33  96 

6.  Public  service 42  23  0  0 

7.  Professional  service 113  43  83  88 

8.  Domestic  and  personal  service  106  69  734  348 

9.  Clerical  occupations.- 76     .  82  67  135 

Totals 1000  1000  1000  1000 

*The  Brookline  data  are  taken  from  the  Bureau  of  the  Census  Report 
upon  Population  for  1910,  page  214;  the  data  for  all  others  from  the  Report 
of  a  Survey  of  the  School  System  of  Salt  Lake  City,  page  17. 


The  relatively  small  number  of  men  engaged  in  manufactur- 
ing and  mechanical  pursuits  and  the  large  number  in  trade,  pro- 
fessional service,  agriculture,  and  domestic  and  personal  service 
are  apparent;  also  the  large  number  of  women  engaged  in  domestic 
and  personal  service  and  professional  service  (taking  into  ac- 
count the  unbalancing  of  the  percentage  by  the  large  number 
of  servants)  and  the  small  number  in  manufacturing  and  me- 
chanical industries. 

||^«  But  it  is  just  as  important  to  know  what  stations  in  the 
occupations  are  held  —  the  proportion  of  proprietors,  managers, 
clerks,  and  laborers.  Table  No.  4  in  the  appendix  contains  the 
computations.  While  it  has  been  difficult  to  differentiate  be- 
tween the  various  ranks  in  the  various  occupations  so  that  they 
are  co-ordinate  one  with  another,  yet  it  may  be  said  that  the 
information  furnished  there  gives  an  approximate  knowledge 
of  the  situation. 


The  Brookljne  Community  37 

The  large  proportion  of  men  and  women  in  positions  of  the 
highest  rank  is  unusual.  Among  the  men  there  are  practically 
as  many  proprietors  and  firm  members,  or  those  who  carry  the 
financial  and  managerial  responsibility,  as  clerks  and  other  sub- 
ordinate salaried  employees,  and  when  to  the  proprietors  are 
added  the  salaried  superintendents  and  managers  their  number 
exceeds  the  number  of  laborers  and  wage  earners  by  200.  While 
the  proportion  of  men  engaged  in  manufacturing  and  mechanical 
pursuits  is  less  than  one-half  that  usually  found,  almost  half 
of  them  are  either  proprietors  or  managers.  The  same  distribu- 
tion of  large  numbers  in  high  positions  holds  even  more  strongly 
in  trade,  with  this  added  weight,  that  there  are  more  engaged 
in  trade  than  in  any  other  calUng  and  almost  two-thirds  more 
than  in  the  typical  American  city. 

The  number  of  women  in  high  positions  is  likewise  notable, 
notwithstanding  the  small  percentages  in  that  column  caused 
by  the  unusually  large  numbers  of  house  servants  —  probably 
the  highest  proportion  of  all  cities  in  the  country.*  While  the 
number  engaged  in  manufacturing  and  mechanical  pursuits  is 
less  than  one-fourth  the  normal  for  American  cities,  yet  over 
seven  out  of  10  are  proprietors  or  managers.  A  similar  situation 
exists  in  the  trades;  although  only  one-third  the  normal  number 
are  engaged,  one  out  of  every  five  is  in  the  highest  rank.  It  is 
to  be  noted  also  that  only  one-half  the  usual  number  are  in  clerical 
positions. 

The  large  proportion  of  men  in  professional  service  and  the 
large  proportion  in  the  highest  class  of  positions,  both  among 
men  and  women,  within  this  group  is  still  another  noteworthy 
characteristic. 

*While  this  factor  has  operated  to  increase  the  number  of  females  over 
males,  the  number  of  unmarried  females,  the  number  of  persons  in  a  family 
and  in  a  dwelling,  and  to  reduce  the  number  of  children  under  15  in 
proportion  to  the  entire  number,  yet  the  position  of  Brookline  among  the 
other  cities  is  not  disturbed  thereby.  Assuming  that  the  proportion  of 
females  engaged  in  domestic  and  personal  service  in  Brookline  is  the  same 
as  in  other  cities,  and  that  the  population  of  the  city  were  reduced  by  the 
difference,  the  number  of  males  to  females  would  be  73.6  to  100.  Assuming 
that  all  remaining  were  single,  the  number  of  single  females  would  be  47.6 
per  cent  of  all,  while  the  per  cent  of  population  below  15  and  from  five  to 
14  would  be  20.6  and  14.9  respectively.  So  Brookline  would  still  retain  its 
location  at  or  very  near  the  extreme  in  all  these  respects. 


38  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

The  large  number  of  men  engaged  in  agriculture,  forestry 
and  animal  husbandry  is  caused  by  the  large  number  of  estates 
in  the  southern  part  of  the  town,  while  the  larger  number  of 
laborers  and  wage  earners  in  transportation  than  would  be  ex- 
pected from  a  consideration  of  the  above  figures  is  caused  by  the 
fact  that  a  terminal  of  one  of  the  Boston  car  lines  is  situated 
in  the  town  just  above  the  Village. 

Most  of  the  men  and  women  of  Brookline  carry  on  their 
vocations  in  Boston  and  other  suburban  towns,  which  are  all 
easy  of  access.  This  may  be  illustrated  by  those  engaged  in 
manufacturing,  for  which  alone  we  have  data.  The  number 
of  wage  earners  is  936,  while  the  average  number  working  in  the 
town  is  340,  or  36  per  cent  of  the  total,  providing  all  working  in 
these  establishments  hved  in  the  town.  The  proportion  would 
probably  be  still  smaller  for  those  in  higher  positions,  and  in 
some  cases  very  much  smaller.  (See  appendix,  Table  No.  4  for 
analysis). 

Manufacturing  Establishments. 
Brookline  is  a  town  of  residences  and  the  business  and  manu- 
facturing establishments  are  relatively  few.  There  is  no  city 
either  in  the  larger  or  in  the  special  group,  the  latter  of  which 
were  selected  partly  on  the  basis  of  their  reputation  as  residential 
cities,  which  has  so  few  manufacturing  estabhshments,  and  there 
are  but  three  cities  which  have  a  smaller  number  of  wage  earners. 
In  the  value  of  products  manufactured  it  is  again  the  lowest. 
Thus  again  is  BrookUne  found  at  the  extreme  end  of  a  distribution. 
It  provides  very  few  vocational  opportunities  within  its  own 
boundaries  for  its  people.  A  table  for  the  selective  group  of 
cities  covering  these  points  is  given  on  the  following  page. 


The  Brookline  Community 


39 


TABLE  NO.   9. 

Number  of  Manufacturing  Establishments,  Average 

Number  of  Wage  Earners,  and  Value  of  Products 

in  Selected  Cities.* 

1909. 

Average  No.  Value  of 

No.  of              of  Wage  Products  in. 

Cities                                 Establishments       Earners  Thousands^ 

I.Boston 3,155                 69,637  $237,457 

2.  Los  Angeles 1,325                 17,327  68,586- 

3.  Yonkers 158                 12,711  59,334 

4.  Springfield 346                 11,855  31,77a 

5.  Newton 46                   2,174  6,27^ 

6.  Madison,  Wis 116                   1,792  5,467 

7.  East  Orange 42                   1,386  3,725 

8.  Berkeley,  Cal 84                   1,084  4,435 

9.  San  Diego 117                    1,071  4,741 

10.  Evanston,  lU 60                      837  3,778- 

11.  New  Rochelle 42                      735  l,6d9 

12.  Colorado  Springs,  Col 59                     516  1,73a 

13.  Pasadena 88                      499  1,724 ' 

14.  Brookline 16                      340  532 

15.  Oak  Park 23                     282  1,118 

16.  Montclair.  .  .  .: 23                      252  1,026 

17.  White  Plains 33                      249  816 

♦Thirteenth  Census  of  the  United  States,  1910.    Abstract,  page  529. 


Distribution  of  Wealth. 
The  economic  status  of  the  people  of  Brookline  furnishes 
some  interesting  contrasts.  The  total  number  of  taxables  of 
the  town  for  the  year  1915  was  8355,  but  of  this  number  5031 
paid  a  poll  tax  only  and  34  more  were  declared  exempt  from  such 
tax.  Thus  60  per  cent  of  the  l^axables  had  no  real  or  personal 
property  subject  to  taxation  that  the  assessors  discovered.  Just 
above  these  are  approximately  10  per  cent  —  about  840  —  of 
the  taxables  who  paid  for  the  year  1915  less  than  $25  in  taxes. 
At  a  tax  rate  of  S14.10  on  $1000  of  property,  this  10  per  cent 
may  be  said  to  have  property  worth  less  than  $1775  each  with 
the  approximate  mean  at  about  $900.  At  the  opposite  end  of 
the  distribution  are  approximately  1.8  per  cent  or  150  of  th& 


40  School  Suhvey  of  Brookline 

taxables  who  pay  taxes  of  $1000  or  more  upon  property  valued 
at  $71,000  or  over,  while  probably  over  100  pay  taxes  on  $100,000 
•or  more.  Between  the  two  extremes  there  is  a  gradual  tapering 
•down  from  the  lower  to  the  higher  end.  The  median  property 
tax  was  a  little  over  $105,  representing  a  valuation  of  slightly 
more  than  $7500.  In  other  words,  one-half  of  those  who  paid 
property  taxes  had  property  worth  less  than  $7500  and  one-half 
had  property  worth  more  than  that  amount.  Summing  up,  it 
may  be  said  that  of  approximately  8355  taxables  60  per  cent  paid 
no  property  tax,  70  per  cent  paid  on  less  than  $1775,  80  per  cent 
on  less  than  $7500,  18.8  per  cent  on  between  $7500  and  $100,000 
and  1.2  per  cent  on  over  $100,000  worth  of  taxable  property.  Table 
IN"o.  5  in  the  appendix  gives  more  complete  information  upon  this 
subject. 

The  homes  and  the  family  hfe  must  and  do  represent  as 
wide  a  variation  as  the  scope  of  wealth,  and  the  children  coming 
from  these  homes  possess  just  as  varying  past  experiences,  knowl- 
edge, habits,  tendencies,  and  health  as  those  wide  extremes 
would  produce.  Below  the  Village,  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Parsons 
School  and  radiating  out  from  the  center  to  the  south  and  west, 
is  a  community  that  can  as  properly  be  called  a  slum  district 
as  certain  portions  of  Boston  or  any  other  large  city.  The  three- 
story  frame  buildings,  containing  six  flats  of  three  rooms  each, 
with  their  dark,  dirty  halls  and  loathsome  sanitary  provisions, 
are  set  closely  together  so  that  there  is  little  air  or  lighting  space. 
The  streets  are  narrow,  and  disorder  and  neglect  are  everywhere 
apparent.  The  social  conditions  provided  by  such  homes  and 
the  poverty  that  exists  in  them  present  a  real  problem  to  those 
who  have  in  charge  the  pubUc  schools.  In  vivid  contrast  are  the 
magnificent  homes  upon  the  hills,  many  of  them  with  a  large 
acreage,  some  of  whose  owners  send  their  children  to  private 
schools  in  the  town,  city  or  surrounding  suburbs.  These  latter 
ijhildren  have  an  entirely  different  past,  different  tastes  and  habits, 
■different  destination  in  life,  and  some  of  them  present  difficulties 
altogether  as  great  as,  if  not  greater  than,  the  children  of  the  poor. 


The  Brookline  Community 


41 


The  Total  Wealth  of  Brookline. 
Brookline  is  a  wealthy  town.  In  both  assessed  and  real  valua- 
tion per  capita  of  population  it  is  one  of  the  highest  in  the  United 
States.  The  accompanying  tables,  while  they  contain  many 
approximations,  are  still  sufficiently  accurate  and  dependable 
to  estabhsh  this  point.  Only  South  Omaha  in  the  general  list 
and  San  Diego,  Cal.,  and  Milton,  Mass.,  in  the  special  group 
approach  at  all  closely  to  Brookline.  (See  appendix.  Table  6, 
for  the  national  group  of  cities.) 


TABLE  10. 
Assessed   Valuation  per   Capita,    1912  —  Selected    Group. 


Assessed 
Valuation 

Cities  per  Capita 

1.  Brookline,  Mass $3,659.92 

2.  Milton,  Mass 3,452.77 

3.  San  Diego,  Cal 1,051 .05 

4.  Pasadena,  Cal 1,171 .  35 

5.  New  Rochelle,  N.  Y 1,072.97 

6.  Boston,  Mass 2,069.84 

7.  Newton,  Mass 1,915.90 

8.  Los  Angeles,  Cal 802 .33 

9.  Madison,  Wis 1,356.09 

10.  Montclair,  N.  J 1,678.98 

11.  Springfield,  Mass 1,556.11 

12.  Berkeley,  Cal 786.77 

13.  East  Orange,  N.J 1,297 .  58 

14.  WTiite  Plains,  N.  Y 1,014.59 

15.  Colorado  Springs,  Colo 400.77 

16.  Evanston,  111 406.17 

17.  Oak  Park,  111 316.80 

18.  Yonkers,  N.  Y 885 .60 


Basis  of 

Assessment 

{per  Cents  of 

Estimated 

True  Value) 

100 

100 

31 

49 

60 

100 

100 

44 

80 

100 

100 

56 

100 

80 

33 

33 

33 

100 


True 

Valuation 

.%3,659.92 

3,452.77 

3,390.34 

2,390.51 

2,088.30 

2,069.84 

1,915.90 

1,823.48 

1,695.10 

1,678.98 

1,556.11 

1,404.95 

1,297.58 

1,268.24 

1,202.31 

1,218.51 

950.40 

885.60 


Brookhne  has  always  in  recent  years  been  liberal  in  support 
of  her  pubhc  schools,  one  of  the  most  Hberal  in  the  State,  always 
ranking  close  to  the  top  in  a  table  in  the  State  report  showing 
the  amount  spent  per  pupil.     At  the  same  time  in  the  amount 


42  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

per  $1000  of  valuation  of  taxable  property  that  has  been  ex- 
pended she  has  uniformly  been  among  the  very  lowest.  She  is, 
in  fact,  so  wealthy  that  the  largest  appropriation  put  upon  her 
causes  but  the  sHghtest  strain. 

Finally,  it  is  a  progressive  town  whose  population  is  increasing 
more  rapidly  than  the  normal  for  cities  of  the  same  population 
group.  But  15  of  the  51  cities  had  a  more  rapid  growth  from 
1900  to  1910.  In  the  more  selected  group  she  stands  below  the 
normal;  her  rate  of  growth,  39.4  per  cent,  was  exceeded  by  the 
three  California  cities,  by  the  five  suburbs  of  New  York  and  by 
SpringjBeld. 


CHAPTER  II. 
THE  BROOKLINE  SCHOOL  SYSTEM. 

The  school  system  includes  thirteen  grades  above  the  kinder- 
garten. Enough  kindergartens  are  provided  to  accommodate 
for  two  years  all  children  of  the  town  who  are  not  ready  for  entrance 
into  the  first  grade.  Above  the  kindergarten  are  the  elementary 
schools  of  nine  grades  and  beyond  these  a  high  school  with  courses 
covering  four  years.  Children  may  enter  the  first  grade  at  the 
age  of  five,  but  the  majority  are  at  least  six  years  of  age  on  pro- 
motion from  the  kindergarten.  Some  optional  studies  are  offered 
in  the  eighth  and  ninth  grades  and  in  the  high  school  courses  of 
the  usual  variety  are  open  to  choice.  A  School  of  Practical  Arts 
affords  prevocational  training  for  pupils  not  adapted  to  succeed 
in  the  more  bookish  work  of  the  high  school. 

Distinctive  Features. 
Liberal  Expenditures. 

Few  communities  are  so  liberal  in  provision  of  kindergartens. 
No  portion  of  the  town  is  neglected  and  no  child  of  suitable  age 
need  lack  this  highly  valuable  form  of  training.  This  liberality 
shown  in  providing  kindergartens  seems  characteristic  of  the  atti- 
tude of  the  town  toward  education  generally.  Being  one  of  the 
richest  communities  in  the  world,  it  can  provide  thus  liberally  for 
its  schools  without  imposing  an  appreciable  burden  upon  property. 
The  amount  of  taxable  property  is  so  vast  and  the  population  so 
small  as  to  make  the  educational  situation  in  Brookline  absolutely 
unique  in  America. 

The  old  New  England  town  meeting,  in  modified  form,  is 
still  retained  in  Brookhne.  The  School  Committee  of  nine  mem- 
bers is  an  elective  body  with  large  powers  but  dependent  upon 
the  town  meeting  for  funds  to  carry  out  its  program. 

The  best  traditions  of  school  management  in  respect  to  the 
functions  of  a  board  of  control  have  apparently  been  operative 

43 


44  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

in  Brookline  for  many  years.  The  School  Committee  is  a  legis- 
lative body.  It  receives  reports  as  to  conditions  and  needs, 
weighs  recommendations  and  determines  the  broader  lines  of 
policies.  Having  decided  upon  these  policies,  it  entrusts  their 
execution  to  a  salaried  executive,  the  Superintendent  of  Schools, 
giving  him  large  latitude  in  matters  of  detail.  This  is  the  policy 
under  which  education  has  made  the  most  notable  progress  in 
American  cities.  A  board  of  education  occupies  a  very  important 
position  and  upon  its  good  judgment  as  to  what  to  do  and  what 
to  let  alone  depends  much  of  the  success  of  the  administration  of 
the  schools.  In  no  phase  of  school  procedure  does  the  wisdom  of 
the  Brookline  School  Committee's  pohcy  show  to  better  advantage 
than  in  the  vitally  important  matter  of  securing  teachers.  The 
general  policy  seems  to  be  to  offer  salaries  attractive  to  the  best 
teachers  in  New  England  and  then  to  give  the  Superintendent 
practically  a  free  hand  in  securing  those  who,  in  his  expert  judg- 
ment, can  render  acceptable  service.  Elsewhere  in  this  report 
enough  is  said  of  the  high  average  of  ability  found  in  the  Brook- 
line teaching  force  to  show  that,  in  the  opinion  of  the  Survey  Staff, 
this  enhghtened  pohcy  of  the  School  Committee  has  had  abun- 
dant justification  in  its  results,  for,  without  question,  this  im- 
portant duty  which  has  been  entrusted  to  the  Superintendent  of 
Schools  has  been  well  performed. 

Short  Daily  Sessions. 

In  nearly  all  school  systems  of  the  United  States,  exceptions 
being  found  chiefly  in  the  South,  the  school  day  for  elementary 
schools  is  divided  into  two  sessions,  each  broken  by  a  short  recess 
and  separated  by  a  noon  intermission  of  an  hour  and  a  half,  dur- 
ing which  children  go  to  their  homes  for  luncheon.  High  schools 
are  usually  run  on  the  single-session  plan  because  the  majority 
of  children  in  attendance  live  at  a  distance  from  the  school  too 
great  to  make  it  practicable  to  go  home  at  noon.  This,  however, 
is  recognized  as  a  distinct  disadvantage  to  be  met  by  special  pro- 
visions for  safeguarding  the  health  of  the  pupils.  At  the  noon 
intermission  a  warm  meal  is  served  and  sufficient  time  is  appor- 


The  School  System  45 

tioned  to  the  noon  recess  to  insure  freedom  from  hurry  in  its 
administration. 

For  more  than  fifty  years  Brookhne's  elementary  schools,  as 
well  as  the  high  schools,  have  been  run  on  the  one-session  plan, 
under  which  the  net  maximum  available  school  time  is  four  and 
a  half  hours.  The  disadvantages  of  this  plan  as  it  concerns  the 
elementary  schools  are  discussed  in  the  chapters  of  this  report 
relating  to  health;  and  the  disadvantages  from  the  point  of  view 
of  administering  the  courses  of  study  are  frequently  referred  to 
elsewhere  in  the  report.  A  compromise  plan  which  provides  for 
two  sessions  on  certain  specified  days  and  a  single  session  on  other 
days  has  been  found  fairly  satisfactory  in  the  city  of  Newton, 
Mass.  On  the  afternoons  of  one-session  days  parents  arrange  for 
music  and  dancing  lessons  for  their  children,  or  for  other  extra 
school  interests,  while  the  longer  two-session  days  of  the  week 
allow  the  schools  to  carry  out  an  adequate  program.  Several 
members  of  the  Survey  Staff,  each  looking  at  the  question  from  his; 
own  particular  standpoint,  have  found  that  the  children  in  the 
Brookline  schools,  grade  for  grade,  are  a  year  over-age  by  United 
States  age  grade  standards.  While  there  are  other  factors  which 
help  to  account  for  this  condition,  there  can  be  little  doubt  that 
the  shorter  school  day  necessitated  by  the  single  session  in  ele- 
mentary schools  furnishes  a  part  of  the  explanation.  Some 
advantages  might  be  gained  by  making  general  the  voluntary 
after-school  opportunity  afforded  in  some  schools  to  pupils  in. 
need  of  special  help,  but  this  would  be  far  from  a  complete  solu- 
tion of  the  difficulty.  As  to  duties  of  teachers  after  1:30,  the 
nine-grade  school  principals  gave  various  answers.  .Some  said  no 
duties  except  what  the  teachers  voluntarily  assumed;  but  one  said 
she  expected  the  teachers  to  be  in  their  rooms  after  1 :30  regularly 
for  one  or  more  days  each  week  to  give  help  to  bacj^ward, pupils, 
and  that  her  teachers  quite  consistently  fulfilled  this  expectation. 
In  view  of  the  unusually  early  closing  of  the  school  session  in 
Brookline,  if  the  one-session  plan  is  to  remain  the  practjice,  it  would 
seem  wise  to  extend  to  all  the  schools  and  enact  into  a  rule  the 
foregoing  arrangement  for  afternoon  special  help  to  pupils  needing 
individual  attention  beyond  what  can  be  given  in  the  regular  class 
session. 


46  School  Survey  of  Brookltne 

Class  Promotions. 

In  the  Brookline  schools  class  promotions  are  made  once  each 
year  instead  of  semi-annually  or  oftener  as  in  some  systems. 
There  are  certain  evident  advantages  accruing  to  pupils  from 
the  more  frequent  regrouping  which  elsewhere  is  advocated 
partly  for  the  purpose  of  bringing  together  pupils  of  approximate- 
ly equal  power  and  partly  for  the  purpose  of  facilitating  rapid 
advancement  of  individuals  and  groups.  In  a  small  system  of 
schools  like  that  of  Brookline,  however,  the  semiannual  promotion 
plan  would  present  difficulties  on  the  organization  side  which  do 
not  appear  in  large  systems  and  which  would  tend  to  minimize 
the  advantages.  Therefore,  while  in  the  opinion  of  the  Survey 
Staff  the  semi-annual  plan  admits  of  more  flexibility  in  management 
than  the  armual  plan,  they  are  inclined  to  agree  with  the  Super- 
intendent that  it  is  not,  on  the  whole,  desirable  to  depart  radically 
from  the  annual  plan  of  class  promotion  now  in  vogue.  They 
advise,  however,  that  where  numbers  permit  more  attention  be 
^ven  to  forming  homogeneous  working  sections  so  that  there 
may  be  rapid-moving  groups  and  slow-moving  groups  advancing 
according  to  ability  without  too  much  regard  to  fixed  dates. 

The  Freedom  of  the  Teacher. 

The  care  with  which  teachers  are  selected  for  the  Brookline 
45chools  insures  a  degree  of  competency  in  the  teaching  force  which 
may  properly  justify  the  absence  of  that  minutely  prescribed 
-daily,  weekly  and  monthly  procedure  which  is  so  often  found  in 
school  systems,  and  which  is  perhaps  not  out  of  place  when  the 
instruction  or  much  of  it  must  be  given  by  teachers  of  extremely 
limited  experience.  The  course  of  study  prescribes  grade  limits, 
but  it  gives  little  in  the  way  of  detail  or  specific  directions  as  to 
method.  Responsibility,  therefore,  devolves  upon  each  teacher 
to  work  out  a  syllabus  in  accordance  with  his  own  best  judgment. 

For  example,  the  Course  of  Study  in  Language  and  Grammar 
for  Grade  VII,  covering  oral  and  written  exercises,  Spelling,  Gram- 
mar, Reading,  Memorizing,  Penmanship  and  French  (elective),  is 
included  in  a  single  page  of  the  40-page  pamphlet  entitled  "  Courses 


The  School  System  47 

of  Studies  for  the  Primary  and  Grammar  Schools."  The  treat- 
ment of  this  subject  in  other  grades  and  of  other  subjects  in  all 
grades  is  equally  brief.  The  discussion  of  the  Course  of  Study  in 
History,  given  in  another  part  of  this  report,  illustrates  some  of 
the  disadvantages  which  attend  reliance  upon  so  brief  an  outline 
of  studies.  Supervising  officers  may  well  hesitate  to  indulge  in 
minute  prescription  lest  they  relieve  the  classroom  teacher  of  all 
responsibility,  but,  on  the  other  hand,  it  is  desirable  through 
conferences  and  committee  work  to  pool  the  accumulating  ex- 
perience of  the  teaching  force  and,  through  a  more  or  less  elaborate 
syllabus  in  each  subject  worked  out  by  the  teachers  themselves, 
make  accessible  to  every  teacher  the  best  thought  of  all  workers 
in  a  given  field.  A  course  worked  out  in  this  way  is  suggestive 
and  not  prescriptive  and  it  serves  to  save  the  time  of  all  teachers. 
Furthermore,  such  a  syllabus  would  unify  and  standardize  the 
treatment  of  a  subject  throughout  the  school  system  without 
encroaching  upon  the  legitimate  freedom  of  any  teacher. 

At  present  there  are  very  wide  differences  in  the  emphasis  given 
by  different  teachers  to  the  same  topic  in  a  given  grade.  For 
instance,  exercises  in  formal  grammar  were  heard  in  certain 
seventh  grades  which  were  plainly  within  the  mental  grasp  of 
only  the  most  highly  gifted  and  symbol  minded  of  the  pupils. 
These  were  exercises  which  nowadays  are  not  ordinarily  attempted 
below  the  ninth  grade  or  the  high  school.  If  ability  to  handle 
abstractions  of  such  difficulty  is  the  standard  for  promotion  in 
the  judgment  of  a  few  teachers  here  and  there,  while  other  teach- 
ers are  promoting  more  on  the  basis  of  skill  in  the  use  of  English 
in  oral  and  written  composition,  it  is  plain  that  such  great  diver- 
gence in  standards  must  result  in  great  inequalities  in  the  promo- 
tion of  pupils  from  grade  to  grade  and  in  part  account  for  the 
amount  of  over-age  shown  in  another  chapter  of  this  report.  In 
the  chapter  on  "  Standard  Tests  "  attention  is  drawn  to  the  large 
amount  of  variation  in  the  system  shown  by  the  results  of  the 
tests.  This  applies  to  all  subjects  in  which  tests  were  given.  So 
far  as  this  may  be  due  to  individual  differences  in  the  interpre- 
tation of  the  Course  of  Studies  by  different  teachers,  the  obvious 
remedy  would  be  a  fuller  syllabus. 


48  ' School  Survey  of  Brookline 

In  the  opinion  of  the  Survey  Staff,  the  work  of  the  Brookline- 
schools  would  be  improved  and  the  time  of  both  teachers  and 
pupils  economized  if  through  conferences  among  the  teachers 
themselves  the  standards  to  be  met  and  the  details  to  be  treated 
in  such  study  were  determined  somewhat  definitely  and  issued 
under  the  authority  of  the  Superintendent  as  a  guide  to  classroom 
procedure.  Using  a  syllabus  made  up  in  this  way,  no  teacher 
need  feel  that  a  limitation  is  put  upon  professional  liberty,  since 
the  prescription,  so  far  as  it  is  a  prescription,  has  been  the  joint 
work  of  those  who  are  to  follow  the  prescription. 

The  idea  underlying  the  freedom  accorded  to  teachers  ia 
Brookline  is  admirable  and  it  is  far  from  the  spirit  and  purpose 
of  this  report  to  suggest  any  real  reduction  in  the  amount  of 
freedom  allowed.  The  suggestion  here  made  is  that  there  be 
more  co-operation  among  schools  and  teachers,  so  that  the  good 
developed  in  one  classroom  or  in  a  single  building  may  be  made 
available  throughout  the  school  system.  It  seems  to  the  Survey 
Staff  that  individuality  has  been  cultivated  to  such  an  extent  in 
the  Brookhne  schools  that  unity  is  sacrificed.  When  individuahty 
goes  to  such  an  extreme  as  to  hinder  the  pooling  of  experience  for 
the  benefit  of  the  whole  school  system,  the  need  of  definitely 
organized  co-operation  seems  evident.  Co-operative  efforts  are 
found  here  and  there,  as,  for  instance,  the  revision  of  the  English 
course  in  the  high  school  and  the  conferences  that  high  school 
departmental  heads  have  been  conducting  with  upper-grade 
teachers  handhng  subjects  continued  in  high  school. 

Size  of  Classes. 

In  his  reports  the  Superintendent  directs  attention  to  Brook- 
line's  policy  of  supplying  enough  teachers  to  keep  the  number  of 
pupils  per  teacher  relatively  low.  The  following  table  shows  the 
size  of  classes  in  grammar  and  primary  schools  for  a  period  o^ 

four  years: 

1911-12   1912-13   1913-14-   1914-15   1915-16 
Pupils    per    teacher,    grammar 

grades. 31  31  30  30  28.2 

Pupils    per    teacher,     primary 

grades 30  29  30  30  30.0 


The  School  System  49> 

This  state  of  affairs  supplies  one  condition  for  doing  highly- 
effective  work  in  the  education  of  the  children.  Two  other  cir- 
cumstances conditioning  effective  work  are  the  efficiency  of  the 
teacher  and  the  content  of  the  Course  of  Study  which  children  are 
following.  The  favorable  opinion  which  members  of  the  Survey 
Staff  have  formed  of  the  elementary  teaching  force  has  already 
been  set  forth.  The  teachers  seemed  entirely  worthy  of  the 
children's  respect.  The  third  condition  of  effective  work  is  the 
content  of  the  elementary  school  curriculum  through  the  several 
grades.  Even  if  teachers  are  doing  well  what  they  are  attempting, 
the  question  whether  they  are  attempting  the  best  things  to  do 
in  the  elementary  course  is  a  very  important  one.  But  the  printed 
"Course  of  Studies"  is  too  brief  to  furnish  an  adequate  answer 
to  this  question.  On  this  point,  therefore,  reference  must  be 
made  to  the  chapter  on  "Standard  Tests,"  since  any  course  may 
fairly  be  judged  by  its  results. 

The  Supervision  of  the  Schools. 

As  listed  in  the  Manual,  there  are,  besides  the  Superintendent 
and  the  grammar  school  principals,  three  supervisors.  Since, 
however,  one  of  the  supervisors  spends  25  periods  per  week 
actually  teaching  high  school  and  practical  arts  classes,  the 
actual  number  devoting  their  entire  time  to  supervision  is  re- 
duced to  two.  In  the  chapter  on  "School  Finances"  it  is  shown 
that  in  the  proportion  of  the  expenditures  devoted  to  supervision 
Brookhne  is  low  in  the  fist  of  cities  compared  and  elsewhere  in 
this  report  the  need  of  more  supervision  is  pointed  out.  Not  only 
is  adequate  supervision  of  the  special  subjects  lacking,  but  the 
Superintendent's  office  is  under-staffed.  In  addition  to  his  duties 
as  the  expert  in  education  who  must  be  a  frequent  visitor  in  all 
classrooms,  conduct  teachers'  meetings,  write  and  revise  the 
Course  of  Study,  travel  extensively  in  search  of  teachers  to  fill 
vacancies,  instruct  the  janitors  as  to  their  duties  and  see  that  they 
do  their  work  properly,  Brookline  expects  her  Superintendent  of 
Schools  to  act  as  business  manager  of  the  school  system  and  as^ 
clerk  of  the  School  Committee. 

All  this  may  have  seemed  reasonable  before  the  town  had 


50  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

attained  its  present  population  and  before  the  requirements  in 
Courses  of  Study  and  organization  of  the  work  of  the  schools  had 
reached  their  present  state  of  complexity.  There  are  just  as 
many  problems  to  be  studied  and  there  is  just  as  wide  a  range  of 
decisions  to  be  made  in  Brookline  as  in  any  other  city,  and  it  is 
beyond  the  ability  of  one  man,  no  matter  how  expert  he  may  be 
to  find  the  time  necessary  to  give  adequate  attention  to  all  of 
the  thousand  and  one  things  demanding  oversight,  from  the 
kindergarten  through  the  high  school.  Many  of  the  problems  in 
a  progressive  school  system  require  prolonged  and  sustained  at- 
tention which  the  chief  executive  officer  of  the  School  Committee 
cannot  give. 

The  time  of  an  assistant  superintendent  could  be  utilized 
to  as  good  advantage  in  Brookline  as  in  a  city  of  larger  size.  A 
city  of  100,000  inhabitants  has  no  more  problems  in  connection 
with  its  schools  than  a  city  of  30,000  inhabitants.  Its  problems 
require  no  more  study.  In  some  respects  the  larger  the  city,  the 
easier  is  the  solution  of  its  problems.  It  is,  therefore,  not  primarily 
on  account  of  the  wealth  of  Brookhne  that  the  Survey  Committee' 
recommends  that  an  assistant  superintendent  of  schools  be  em- 
ployed, though  the  fact  of  Brookline's  exceptional  wealth,  as  well 
as  her  desire  to  have  the  best  possible  schools,  is  an  impor- 
tant factor  in  support  of  the  recommendation. 

The  Superintendent's  secretary  impressed  the  Survey  Staff  as 
being  notably  zealous  and  efficient.  The  secretarial  work  now 
required  is  well  done,  but  if  the  recommendations  of  this  report 
are  adopted  there  will  be  an  extension  of  the  scope  of  clerical  work 
of  the  office  and  an  additional  clerk  or  assistant  secretary  should 
be  provided.   . 


CHAPTER  III. 

SCHOOL  FINANCES. 

How  much  do  the  schools  of  Brookline  cost? 

In  order  to  make  an  intelHgent  study  of  the  costs  of  the 
Brookhne  schools  the  Survey  Committee  found  it  necessary  to 
employ  an  accountant  to  go  over  all  the  payments  and  to  classify 
each  item  in  them  in  accordance  with  the  principles  of  school 
accounting  as  formulated  by  the  United  States  Commissioner  of 
Education  and  the  National  Education  Association.  It  was 
practicable  to  do  this  only  for  the  past  two  years,  1914-15  and  1915- 
16.  The  figures  furnished  by  the  accountant  for  each  division  of 
expense  for  each  of  these  years  were  reduced  to  unit  costs,  using 
the  number  of  pupils  in  average  daily  attendance  as  the  basis. 
The  unit  costs  for  the  two  years  were  then  averaged  together  in 
order  that  fair  measure  of  costs  might  be  secured.  The  results 
of  these  operations  for  the  day  schools,  which  cause  98  per  cent 
of  the  total  expense,  are  contained  in  Table  No.  1.* 

How  do  the  expenses  of  Brookline  schools  compare  with  the 
expenses  for  schools  in  other  cities? 

As  compared  with  cities  in  general  in  the  United  States,  the 
costs  of  the  schools  are  high.  To  those  who  are  engaged  in  public 
school  administration,  it  is  apparent  at  a  glance  at  the  above 
figures  and  it  is  generally  recognized  to  be  the  fact  in  Brookline. 
The  Survey  Committee  has,  therefore,  given  its  attention  to  a 
comparison  of  costs  of  cities  that  are  most  like  Brookhne  as  re- 
gards wealth,  inteUigence  of  the  population,  proximity  to  urban 
centers,  absence  of  industrial  and  commercial  life,  and  reputation 
of  schools  —  all  of  which  factors  have  a  tendency  to  promote  high 
costs  of  education.  These  cities  are  those  included  in  the  selected 
group  in  Chapter  I. 

*The  total  expenses  in  1914-15  were  $288,189.88;  for  evening  schools, 
$4485.70;  and  for  vacation  schools,  $2885.88.  For  1915-16,  the  figures  were 
$301,535.76,  $3631.32  and  $2745.74  respectively. 

51 


52 


School  Survey  of  Brookline 


TABLE  NO.  1. 

Average  Costs  per  Pupil  for  Each  Item  of  Expense  of 

School  Years   1914-15  and   1915-16,  Based  on  Average 

Daily  Attendance. 


Eleynentary  Schools  Secondary  Schools 

General 

Grades 

Kinder- 

High 

School  of 

Control 

1-9 

garten 

School  Prac.  Arts 

General  Control: 

Board  of  Education  and  busi- 

ness offices $0.81 

Superintendent    of    Schools, 

office  of 1 .  45 

Enforcement    of    compulsory 

education  law 36 

...' 

, 

Instruction: 

Salaries  of  supervisors 

$1.03 

$2.58 

$12.02 

Other  expenses  of  supervisors 

.05 

.04 

.11 

Salaries  of  principals 

7.28 

6.92 

39.28 

Other  expenses  of  principals 

.08 

.60 

Salaries  of  teachers 

33.70 

$54.00 

76.34 

99.78 

Textbooks 

1.26 

2.61 

2.03 

Stationery  and  supphes 

1.61 

1.82 

5.57 

10.93 

Other  expenses  of  instruction 

.14 

.20 

.54 

.23 

Operation  of  School  Plant: 

Wages  of  janitors  and  assistants 

5.25 

6.97 

7.70 

8.38 

Heat,  light  and  power* 

4.09 

2.78 

2.68 

Janitors'  supphes 

.67 

.31 

.41 

Maintenance  of  Plant*: 

Repairs  of  buildings  and  up- 

keep of  grounds 

3.77 

1.42 

2.84 

Repairs  and  replacement   of 

equipment 

1.10 

.85 

Auxihary  Agencies : 

Promotion  of  health 

.82 

.50 

.43 

Transportation  of  pupils 

.73 

1.43 

Miscellaneous: 

.... 

.... 

Tuition  trade  schools 

.14 

Care  of  children  in  institutions     .... 

.11 

.... 

Pensions 

.74 

1.59 

Total '.  ..   $2.62 

$62.46 

$63.40  $109.78 

$181.03 

*The  charges  of  the  municipal  heat,  light  and  power  plant  and  the  exterior 
building  repairs  and  upkeep  of  grounds  expenses  defrayed  by  the  municipality 
are  included. 


School  Finances  53 

The  costs  for  these  cities  were  obtained  from  unpubUshed 
'data  in  the  office  of  the  United  States  Commissioner  of  Education. 
Copies  were  made  of  the  schedules  that  had  been  prepared  in  the 
various  city  education  offices  showing  expenses  and  average  daily 
attendance  for  the  years  1914-15  and  1915-16.  The  actual  ex- 
penses for  each  year  were  reduced  to  unit  costs  and  these  averaged 
together.  It  is  these  averages  which  appear  in  the  tables.  How- 
ever, the  fact  that  some  of  these  cities  reported  upon  the  abridged 
instead  of  the  standard  schedule  made  it  necessary  that  the  ex- 
penses of  all  the  cities  be  "telescoped"  into  the  smaller  number 
of  items  upon  the  briefer  schedule.  It  was,  of  course,  necessary 
to  do  this  for  the  Brookhne  expenses  given  in  Table  No.  1.  As  the 
expenses  of  kindergartens  are  not  reported  separately  to  the 
National  Education  office,  but  are  combined  with  those  of  ele- 
mentary schools,  the  same  combination  had  to  be  made  for  Brook- 
line.  Likewise,  expenses  are  reported  for  secondary  schools  as  a 
whole,  so  the  expenses  of  the  School  of  Practical  Arts  in  Brookline 
are  merged  with  those  of  the  high  school.  The  results  are  sub- 
mitted in  Tables  Nos.  2,  3  and  4. 

TABLE   NO.   2. 

-Average    Expenses    of    General    Control    per    Capita    of 

Average  Daily  Attendance  in  Day  Schools  for  Years 

1914-15  and  1915-16  in  Group  of  17  Selected  Cities. 

1.  Montclair S3. 55         11.  Pasadena $2.04 

2.  Milton 3 .  36         12.  Newton 1 .  99 

3.  WeUesley 3.27         13.  NewRochelle 1 .98 

4.  Colorado  Springs 2.77         14.  Springfield 1 .  94 

5.  White  Plains 2.72         15.  Yonkers 1 . 83 

6.  Evanston 2.67         16.  Berkeley 1 . 48 

7.  prookline 2.62         17.  Oak  Park 1 .41 

8.  San  Diego 2.41 

9.  East  Orange 2 .  35                Boston 3 .  05 

10.  Madison 2. 17                Los  Angeles 3. 68 


54  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

TABLE  NO.  3. 

Average  Expenses  of  Elementary  Schools  per  Capita  of 

Average  Daily  Attendance  for  Years  1914-15  and 

1915-16  IN  Group  of  17  Selected  Cities. 

1.  Montclair $77.90  11.  Oak  Park $46.51 

2.  Pasadena 65.03  12.  Colorado  Springs 46.39* 

S.  Brookline 62.84  13.  East  Orange 46.24 

4..Evanston 55.38  14.  New  Rochelle 45.49 

5.  Wellesley 55.35         15.  Springfield 44.79 

6.  Berkeley 55.20         16.  Yonkers 43.96 

7.  Milton 53.13         17.  Madison 37.37 

8.  San  Diego 50.19 

9.  White  Plains 46.91  Boston 45.54. 

10.  Newton 46 .  72  Los  Angeles 60 .  IL 

TABLE   NO.  4. 

Average   Expenses   of  Secondary  Schools  per   Capita  of 

Average    Daily    Attendance    for    Years    1914-15    and 

1915-16  IN  Group  of  15  Selected  Cities. 

I.Pasadena $139.50         10.  Wellesley $85. 2& 

2.  San  Diego 123.79         11.  Colorado  Springs 76  .92 

3.  Brookline 116.80        12.  Yonkers 75.85 

4.  Springfield 106.92         13.  Newton 74.38 

5.  New  Rochelle 98.40        14.  Madison.  . 66.91 

6.  Montclair 93.70         15.  Milton 58.68 

7.  East  Orange 93.43 

8.  White  Plains 92.39               Boston 83.21 

9.  Berkeley. 91 .04               Los  Angeles 157.09- 

A  study  of  the  tables  that  have  been  given  above  reveals  the 
following  facts: 

1.  The  costs  per  pupil  of  Brookline  are  among  the  highest  in 
this  selected  group  of  cities  of  wealth  and  culture,  but  are  not  the 
highest.  Montclair,  N.  J.,  and  Pasadena,  Cal.,  pay  more  per 
pupil  for  their  elementary  schools,  and  Pasadena  and  San  Diego 
pay  more  for  their  secondary  schools  than  does  Brookline.  In 
general  control,  however,  six  cities  exceed  Brookline.  From  this 
it  may  safely  be  concluded  that  very  few  cities  in  the  United  States, 
probably  not  more  than  two,  Montclair  and  Pasadena,  put  more 


School  Finances  55 

money  into  their  schools  in  proportion  to  pupils  in  average  daily 
attendance  than  does  Brookhne. 

2.  The  most  costly  department  of  the  schools  relatively  is 
the  School  of  Practical  Arts.  Its  costs  are  65  per  cent  higher  than 
those  of  the  high  school.  Nevertheless,  the  costs  of  the  high  school 
alone  are  exceeded  by  the  secondary  school  costs  of  only  two  cities. 
These  high  costs  of  the  School  of  Practical  Arts  could  well  be 
partly  utilized  in  a  Junior  High  School  giving  prevocational  courses 
in  industry  or  could  be  reduced  through  increased  enrollment 
within  itself,  which  would  probably  be  one  result  of  the  establish- 
ment of  such  a  Junior  High  School. 

3.  The  next  most  expensive  department  relatively  is  the 
kindergarten,  caused  by  a  smaller  number  of  pupils  per  teacher, 
as  was  the  case  in  the  School  of  Practical  Arts.  The  costs  are 
58  per  cent  higher  than  those  of  the  elementary  schools.  However, 
if  the  costs  of  the  elementary  schools  a,lone  are  taken,  Brookhne 
still  ranks  third. 

4.  In  regard  to  the  costs  of  the  elementary  schools,  it  must 
not  be  lost  sight  of  that  the  nine-year  course  increases  the  total 
expenditure  by  at  least  one-twelfth  of  the  total  cost  for  elementary 
schools,  for,  w^hile  the  number  of  teachers  is  not  so  great  in  these 
grades,  yet  their  salaries  are  higher,  and  the  principals,  who  re- 
ceive over  two  and  one-half  times  as  much  as  the  teachers,  give 
some  time  each  day  to  teaching  this  grade.  The  additional  cost 
is  at  least  $15,000  a  year.  The  introduction  of  the  Junior  High 
School  would  omit  this  year  and  the  money  thus  saved  would  be 
more  than  sufficient  to  provide  the  more  varied  courses  which 
would  be  offered  to  suit  the  abilities  and  needs  of  individual  pupils. 

Analysis  of  Costs  —  General  Control. 
We  must  now  turn  our  attention  from  total  costs  per  pupil 
in  the  various  departments  to  the  different  classes  of  expenses 
which  together  make  up  the  totals.  Is  Brookhne  high  or  low 
when  compared  with  other  cities  in  each  of  these  classes?  Are 
her-  expenses  well  balanced,  or  is  too  much  spent  relatively  for 
certain  purposes?  These  two  questions  will  be  answered  first 
for  general  control  as  a  whole. 


56  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

Table  No.  2  shows  that  the  amount  per  pupil  expended  for 
general  control  in  Brookline,  $2.62,  is  exceeded  by  six  of  the  17 
cities  and  by  both  Boston  and  Los  Angeles.  A  comparison  of  the 
relative  costs  per  pupil  for  elementary  and  secondary  schools  in 
Table  No.  5  shows,  (*)  letting  the  sum  of  the  costs  per  pupil  for  gen- 
eral control,  elementary  schools  and  secondary  schools  in  each  city 
«qual  100  per  cent,  that  the  proportion  per  pupil  for  general  con- 
trol in  Brookline  is  less  than  in  nine  of  the  15  cities  and  also  less 
than  in  Boston  and  Los  Angeles.  The  inference  from  these  figures 
is  that  Brookline  caa  expend  more  than  at  present  for  general 
control.  If  expenses  for  these  purposes  had  been  65  per  cent  more 
per  pupil  in  average  daily  attendance,  or  $2515,  in  1916  her  rank 
would  have  been  third,  the  same  as  for  cost  for  elementary,  and 
for  secondary  schools  as  wholes.  If  36  cents  per  pupil,  or  $1393, 
had  been  added,  in  1916  Brookhne  then  would  have  been  the 
middle  city  in  the  Hst  in  the  proportion  per  pupil  spent  for  general 
control  and  the  proper  balance  obtained.  This  topic  ^vill  be 
touched  upon  from  another  angle  later. 

In  this  same  connection  it  may  be  noticed,  parenthetically, 
from  Table  No.  5  that  in  proportion  to  each  other  the  high  schools 
are  costing  more  per  pupil  and  the  elementarj-  schools  less  than 
the  proportion  estabhshed  by  the  group  standard  as  represented 
by  the  medians.  Going  back  to  Tables  Nos.  3  and  4,  it  may  be  said 
that  while  the  costs  of  both  are  high  and  both  have  the  same  rank 
among  the  cities, Table  No.  6aidsinthis  interpretation  by  indicating 
that  the  high  school  costs  are  relatively  higher  than  the  elementary. 

*  Evanston  and  Oak  Park,  111.,  are  not  included  because  they  have  no 
city  high  schools,  their  needs  being  served  by  township  high  schools.  This 
apphes  to  all  tables  giving  proportion  of  expenses.  (This  method  of  measur- 
ing balance  or  proportion  between  various  classes  of  expenses  as  used  here 
and  later  rests  upon  the  principle  that  the  median  for  middle  amount,  similar 
to  the  average,  in  effect]  is  the  best  single  measure  of  the  group.  Referring 
to  Table  5,  the  medians  1.6,  35.2  and  62.8  may  be  said  to  represent  the  best 
relationship  between  costs  per  pupil  for  general  control,  elementary  schools 
and  secondary  schools  in  the  type  of  cities  represented  in  the  group.  These 
figures  must  not  be  taken,  however,  as  proving  anything  of  themselves.  They 
serve  their  purpose  in  raising  questions,  indicating  probable  truths  and  ten- 
dencies, and  in  assisting  us  in  our  thinking  upon  the  problems  as  wholes,  of 
which  the  data  furnished  are  but  parts.) 


School  Finances  57 

TABLE  NO.  5. 

Proportion    of   Total    Expenses    Expended    for    General 
Control,  Elementary  Schools  and  Secondary  Schools. 

General  Elementary   Secondary 

Cities                        .                                       Control  Schools  Schools 

Milton 2.8  46.1  51.1 

Wellesley 2.3  38.5  59.2 

Colorado  Springs 2.2  36.8  61.1 

Montclair 2.0  44.5  53.5 

Madison 2.0  35.2  62.8 

White  Plains 1.9  33.1  65.0 

East  Orange 1.6  32.6  65.8 

Newton 1.6  38.0  60.4 

Yonkers : 1.5  36.2  62.3 

Brookline 1.4  S4.4  64-2 

New  Rochelle 1.4  31.2  69.4 

San  Diego 1.3  28.8  69.9 

Springfield 1.1  28.7  70.2 

Berkeley 1.0  37.4  61.6 

Pasadena 1.0  31.5  67.5  ' 

Median 1.6  35.2  62.8 

Boston 2.3  34.6  63.1 

Los  Angeles 1.7  27.2  71.1 


58 


School  Survey  of  Brookline 


Analysis  of  Costs  —  Elementary  Schools. 
In  the  analysis  of  the  costs  of  the  elementary  schools,  class 
by  class,  a  similar  method  of  treatment  will  be  followed.     Table 
No.  6  gives  in  each  of  its  divisions  the  cost  per  pupil  contained  in 
Table  No.  3  arranged  in  order  of  rank  of  the  cities. 


TABLE  NO.  6. 

Average  Cost  per  Pupil  in  17  Selected  Cities  for  Years 
1914-15  AND  1915-16  OF  Various  Classes  of  Expenses  of 
Elementary  Schools  Arranged  in  Order  of  Their 
Amounts. 

(a) 


Salaries  and  Expenses  of 
Supervisors, 

1.  Milton $5.38* 

2.  Montelair 4.83 

3.  Oak  Park 3.88 

4.  White  Plains 3.49 

5.  San  Diego 2.76 

6.  Evanston 


..       2.75 

Wellesley 2.15 

..       1.74 

..       1.41 

..       1.31 

..       1.13 

1.12 

1.00 

.98 

.94 

.64 


7 

8.  Newton 

9.  Berkeley 

10.  Colorado  Springs 

11.  Springfield 

12.  New  Rochelle.  .  . 

13.  Madison 

14.  Brookline 

15.  East  Orange .... 

16.  Yonkers 

17.  Pasadena 

Boston 

Los  Angeles 

*  Includes  principals. 


.66 
.43 


1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

7. 

8. 

9. 
10. 
11. 
12. 
13. 
14. 
15. 
16. 
17. 


(b) 

Salaries  and  Expenses  of 
Principals. 

Brookline $6.63 

Pasadena 6 .  63 

East  Orange 5 .  00 

Colorado  Springs 4 .  63 

Yonkers 4.14 

Berkeley 4.12 

San  Diego 4 .  03 

New  Rochelle 3 .  99 

Madison 3.77 

Newton 3.65 

Montclair 3.55 

Springfield 2.65 

Wellesley 2 .  03 

1.67 

1.22 

27 


White  Plains . 
Oak  Park.  .  . 
Evanston.  .  . 

Milton 

Boston 

Los  Angeles .  . 


2.61 
5.10 


School  Finances 


59 


(c) 
Salaries  of  Teachers  in  Elemen- 
tary Schools. 

1.  Pasadena $44.37 

2.  Montclair 43.33 

3.  Berkeley 38.81 

4.  Brookline 85. SI 

5.  Wellesley 33.26 

6.  San  Diego 32.14 

7.  Evanston 31.66 

8.  Milton 30.47 

9.  Yonkers 29.80 

10.  New  Rochelle 29.27 

11.  White  Plains 29.26 

12.  Colorado  Springs •. .  29.00 

13.  East  Orange 28.88 

14.  Springfield 28.06 

15.  Newton 27.97 

16.  Oak  Park 27.56 

17.  Madison 21.50 

Boston 30.42 

Los  Angeles 40 .  44 


Textbooks  —  Elementary 
Schools. 

1.  White  Plains $1.39 

2.  Wellesley 1.19 

3.  Brookline 1 .14 

4.  Montclair 97 

5.  Springfield .94 

6.  East  Orange .91 

7.  Yonkers '.82 

8.  Milton 71 

9.  Newton 66 

10.  New  Rochelle 62 

11.  Colorado  Springs .50 

12.  Evanston 19 

13.  Madison 10 

14.  Pasadena 

15.  Berkeley 

16.  San  Diego 

17.  Oak  Park 

Boston .74 

Los  Angeles 


ie) 

Stationery,  Supplies  and  Other 

Expenses  of  Instruction. 

1.  Montclair $4.39  1. 

2.  Evanston 3 .  54  2. 

3.  White  Plains 2 .72  3. 

4.  San  Diego 2.46  4. 

5.  Berkeley 2.44  5. 

6.  Springfield 2.32  6. 

7.  Brookline 1 .85  7. 

8.  Wellesley 1.74  8. 

9.  Pasadena 1 .74  9. 

10.  Milton 1.72  10. 

11.  Colorado  Springs 1.65  11. 

12.  Oak  Park 1.45  12. 

13.  East  Orange 1 .44  13. 

14.  New  Rochelle 1 .26  14. 

15.  Yonkers.  . 1.04  15. 

16.  Newton 1.01  16. 

17.  Madison 76  17. 

Boston 1.24 

Los  Angeles 1 .  52 


(/) 

Wages  of  Janitors. 

Montclair $6.1 

Brookline 5 .  4 

Milton 5.31 

Wellesley 4.83 

Evanston 4 .  78 

Oak  Park 4.36 

Pasadena 3 .  69 

New  Rochelle 3.68 

East  Orange 3 .  44 

Berkeley 3.37 

Newton 3.26 

Springfield 3.18 

White  Plains. 2.92 

San  Diego 2.90 

Yonkers 2.84 

Colorado  Springs 2.61 

Madison 2.59 

Boston 3.00 

Los  Angeles 3.11 


60 


School  Survey  of  Brookline 


(9) 

Heat,  Light,  Water,  Power  and 

Janitors'  Supplies. 

1.  Evanston. $4.86 

2.  Montclair 4.74 

3.  Brookline 4-74 

4.  Milton 4.35 

5.  Oak  Park 4.19 

6.  Wellesley 3.74 

7.  Madison 3.51 

8.  Springfield 3.39 

9.  New  Rochelle 2.98 

10.  Colorado  Springs 2.67 

11.  White  Plains 2 .42 

12.  East  Orange 2.40 

13.  Newton 2.32 

14.  Pasadena 1.68 

15.  Yonkers 1.66 

16.  Berkeley 1.20 

17.  San  Diego 1.13 

Boston 1.98 

Los  Angeles 1.17 

(i) 
Libraries. 

1.  Pasadena $0.83 

2.  San  Diego 56 

3.  Oak  Park 45 

4.  Berkeley .40 

5.  Evanston .14 

6.  Wellesley.  . 12 

7.  White  Plains 08 

8.  Yonkers 06 

9.  Montclair. 05 

10.  New  Rochelle 03 

11.  Colorado  Springs 02 

12.  Madison.  . 01 

13.  East  Orange.  .  . ...         .01 

14.  Springfield 

15.  Yonkers 

16.  Brookline 

17.  Newton 

Boston 

Los  Angeles .40 


(A) 

Maintenance  (Repairs  and 

Replacements). 

1.  Evanston $6 .  31 

2.  Newton 4.76 

3.  Montclair 4.65 

4.  Brookline 4-44 

5.  Pasadena 4 .  39 

6.  Berkeley 3.44 

7.  San  Diego 3.40 

8.  Oak  Park 3.09 

9.  Colorado  Springs 2 .  98 

10.  Springfield 2.71 

11.  Milton 2.47 

12.  Wellesley 2.47 

13.  East  Orange 2.46 

14.  Yonkers 2.26 

15.  Madison 2.22 

16.  White  Plains 2.20 

17.  New  Rochelle 2. 11 

Boston 3.20 

Los  Angeles 2 .  94 

U) 

Promotion  of  Health. 

1.  Montclair $1.27 

2.  Milton 82 

3.  Newton 76 

4.  Brookline .75 

5.  San  Diego 63 

6.  Evanston 62 

7.  Pasadena .61 

8.  East  Orange 48 

9.  Yonkers .44 

10.  Wellesley 39 

11.  Berkeley 38 

12.  Madison 34 

13.  White  Plains 28 

14.  Colorado  Springs 26 

15.  New  Rochelle 25 

16.  Oak  Park 19 

17.  Springfield...... * 

Boston , .43 

Los  Angeles. 39 


School  Finances 


61 


(fc) 


Transportation  of  Pupils. 

1.  Wellesley $1.68 

2.  Madison 1 .  59 

3.  San  Diego 98 

4.  Brookline .78 

5.  Colorado  Springs .76 

6.  White  Plains 48 

7.  Evanston .26 

8.  East  Orange 21 

9.  NewRochelle 18 

10.  Newton .15 

11.  Berkeley 13 

12.  Oak  Park 12 

13.  Montclair 03 

14.  Springfield * 

15.  Yonkers 

16.  Milton 

17.  Pasadena 

Boston 01 

Los  Angeles .02 


Miscellaneous,    Including    Pay- 
ments    TO     Other     Schools, 
Pensions,  Rent,  etc. 

1.  Montclair $3.82 

2.  Wellesley 1.68 

3.  Madison 1 .  59 

4.  Pasadena 1 .  10 

5.  San  Diego 98 

6.  Brookline ,.  .90 

7.  Colorado  Springs .76 

8.  White  Plains 48 

9.  Evanston .26 

10.  East  Orange .21 

11.  NewRochelle .18 

12.  Newton 15 

13.  Berkeley. 13 

14.  OakPatk..:... .12 

15.  Springfield. * 

16.  Yonkers 

17.  Milton. 

Boston.. 1.25 

Los  Angeles 3 .  61 


These  tables  show  that  in  the  costs  of  elementary  schools 
Brookline  ranks  highest,  or  first,  in  salaries  and  expenses  of 
principals,  second  in  salaries  and  wages  paid  janitors  and  their 
assistants,  third  in  textbooks  and  in  heat,  light,  water,  power  and 
janitors'  supphes.  On  all  other  classes  of  expenses  she  ranks 
lower  than  in  the  total  expenses  of  elementary  schools.  Still 
there  are  but  two  classes  of  expenses  in  which  she  is  low,  salaries 
and  expenses  of  supervisors,  and  libraries,  for  which  there  is  no 
expense  whatsoever.  In  the  other  classes  of  expenses  BrookUne 
is  high,  but  not  among  the  highest  three.  From  this  we  would 
infer  that  BrookUne's  rank  as  third  in  total  cost  of  elementary 
schools  is  made  up  of  a  combination  (1)  of  relatively  high  expenses 
for  principals,  janitors,  textbooks  and  heat,  fight,  powder  and 
janitors'  suppfies;  (2)  of  relatively  very  low  expenses  for  super- 
visors and  fibraries;  and  (3)  of  costs  for  the  other  items  lying  be- 
tween these  two  extremes. 

Table  No.  7  furnishes  the  data  relating  to  the  distribution  of 
expenses  in  elementary  schools. 

*  Promotion  of  health,  transportation  of  pupils  and  miscellaneous  ex- 
penses undivided.  , 


62 


School  Survey  of  Brookline 


TABLE  NO.  7. 

Proportion   of   Total    Expenses    of   Elementary   Schools 

Expended  for  Each  Class  of  Expenses  in  15  Selected 

Cities  in  the  Years  1914-15  and  1915-16,  Arranged 

IN  Order  of  Their  Amounts.* 

*  Evanston  and  Oak  Park,  111.,  are  not  included  because  their  high  schools 
are  not  a  part  of  the  city  system  of  schools  and  data  relating  to  them  are  not 
available. 


(a) 

Salaries  and  Expenses  of 

Supervisors. 

1.  Milton 

2.  White  Plains 

3.  Montclair 

4.  San  Diego 

5.  Wellesley 

6.  Newton 

7.  Colorado  Springs 

8.  Madison 

9.  Berkeley 

10.  New  Rochelle 

11.  Springfield 

12.  East  Orange 

13.  Brookline 

14.  Yonkers 

15.  Pasadena 


1 

4 
2 
4 
3.9 
3.7 
2.8 
2.7 
2.6 
2.5 
2.5 
2.4 
1.6 
1.5 


(c) 
Salaries  of  Teachers. 

1.  Berkeley 69.4 

2.  Pasadena 68.3 

3.  Yonkers 67.7 

4.  New  Rochelle 64.3 

5.  Springfield 62.6 

6.  Colorado  Springs 62 . 5 

7.  East  Orange 62.5 

8.  White  Plains 62.4 

9.  San  Diego 60.3 

10.  Wellesley 60.0 

11.  Newton 59.9 

12.  Madison 57.5 

13.  Milton 57.4 

14.  Brookline 56.6 

15.  Montclair 55.8 


1. 
2. 
3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

7. 

8. 

9. 
10. 
11. 


Salaries  and  Expenses  of 
Principals. 

Brookline 10 .6 

Pasadena 10.3 

Madison. 10.1 

Colorado  Springs 10.0 

9.4 

8.8 

7.9 

7.8 


Yonkers 

New  Rochelle. 
San  Diego.  .  . 

Newton 

Berkeley 

Springfield.  ... 
Montclair.  .  .  . 

12.  Wellesley 

13.  White  Plains. 

14.  East  Orange.  . 

15.  Milton 


(d) 
Textbooks. 

1.  White  Plains 

2.  Wellesley 

3.  Springfield 

4.  Yonkers 

5.  Brookline 

6.  Newton 

7.  New  Rochelle 

8.  Milton 

9.  Montclair 

10.  Colorado  Springs .  .  . 

11.  Madison 

12.  East  Orange 

13.  Pasadena , 

14.  Berkeley 

15.  San  Diego 


1.1 


3.0 
2.2 
2.1 
1.9 
1.8 
1.4 
1.4 
1.3 
1.3 
1.1 
.3 
.2 


School  Finances 


63 


{e) 

Stationery,  Supplies  and  Other 

Expenses  of  Instruction. 

1.  White  Plains 5.8 

2.  Montclair 5.6 

3.  Springfield 5.2 

4.  Milton 4.8 

5.  Berkeley 4.4 

6.  Colorado  Springs 3.6 

7.  Wellesley 3.2 

8.  Milton 3.2 

9.  East  Orange 3.1 

10.  BrookUne 2.9 

21.  New  Rochelle 2.8 

12.  Pasadena .%r 2.7 

13.  Yonkers 2.4 

14.  Newton 2.2 

15.  Madison 2.1 

(9) 

Heat,  Light,  Water,  Power  and 

Janitors'  Supplies. 

1.  Madison 9.4 

2.  Milton 8.2 

3.  Springfield 7.6 

4.  BrookUne 7.1 

5.  Wellesley 6.8 

6.  New  Rochelle 6.6 

7.  Montclair 6.1 

8.  Colorado  Springs 5.8 

9.  East  Orange 5.2 

10.  White  Plains 5.2 

11.  Newton 5.0 

12.  Yonkers 3.8 

13.  Pasadena 2.6 

14.  Berkeley 2.2 

15.  San  Diego.  . 2.2 

(^) 
Libraries. 

1 .  Pasadena 1.3 

2.  San  Diego 1.1 

3.  Berkeley .7 

4.  Wellesley .2 

5.  White  Plains 2 

6.  Montclair .1 

7.  New  Rochelle .1 

8.  Yonkers .1 

9.  Colorado  Springs T 

10.  East  Orange T 

11.  Madison T 

12.  BrookUne 

13.  Milton 

14.  Newton 

15.  Springfield 


(/) 


Wages  of  Janitors. 

1.  Milton 10.0 

2.  Wellesley 8.7 

3.  BrookUne 8 .6 

4.  New  Rochelle 8.1 

5.  Montclair 7.9 

6.  East  Orange 7.5 

7.  Springfield 7.1 

8.  Newton 7.0 

9.  Madison 6.9 

10.  Yonkers 6.5 

11.  White  Plains 6.2 

12.  Berkeley 6.1 

13.  Pasadena 5.7 

14.  San  Diego 5.7 

15.  Colorado  Springs 5.6 

(h) 

Maintenance  (Repairs  and 

Replacement). 

1.  Newton 10.2 

2.  BrookUne 7.1 

3.  Pasadena 6.8 

4.  San  Diego 6.7 

5.  Colorado  Springs 6.4 

6.  Berkeley 6.2 

7.  Springfield 6.1 

8.  Montclair 6.0 

9.  Madison 6.0 

10.  East  Orange 5.3 

11.  Yonkers 5.2 

12.  Milton 4.7 

13.  White  Plains 4.7 

14.  New  Rochelle 4.6 

15.  Wellesley 4.5 

(i) 

Promotion  of  Health. 

1.  Montclair 1.6 

2.  Milton 1.6 

3.  Newton 1.6 

4.  East  Orange 1.4 

5.  BrookUne 1 .2 

6.  San  Diego •     1.2 

7.  Yonkers 1.0 

8.  Pasadena .9 

9.  Madison .9 

10.  Wellesley 7 

11.  Berkeley .7 

12.  White  Plains 6 

13.  Colorado  Springs .6 

14.  New  Rochelle .6 

15.  Springfield 


64 


School  Survey  of  Brookline 


(k) 

Transportation  of  Pupils. 

1.  Milton 3 

2.  Wellesley 3 

3.  Brookline 1 

4.  Newton 1 

5.  Yonkers 

6.  East  Orange^ 

7.  Montclair 

8.  Pasadena 

9.  Berkeley 

10.  San  Diego 

11.  White  Plains 

12.  Colorado  Springs 

13.  NewRochelle 

14.  Springfield 

15.  Madison 

T= trace. 


(0 
Miscellaneous,    Including    Pay- 
ment TO  Other  Schools,  Pen- 
sions, Rent,  etc. 

.6  1.  Montclair 4.9 

.2  2.  Madison 4.3 

.2  3.  Wellesley 3.1 

0  4.  San  Diego 1.9 

.  7  5.  Pasadena 1.7 

2  6.  Colorado  Springs 1.6 

T  7.  Brookline I.4 

8.  White  Plains 1.0 

9.  East  Orange .5 

10.  New  Rochelle .4 

11.  Newton 3 

12.  Berkeley 2 

13.  Milton 

14.  Springfield 

15.  Yonkers 


Taking  the  median  proportions  in  these  classes  of  expenses 
as  the  standards  which  joined  together  represent  an  ideal  group 
standard  for  distribution  of  expenses,  we  can  have  by  expressing 
the  de^dations  of  any  expense  from  its  standard  in  terms  of  the 
percentage  of  the  standard,  a  fairly  exact  measure  of  the  extent 
of  the  departure  from  the  norm  for  that  class  of  expense.  In 
other  words,  we  can  thus  obtain  a  coefficient  of  deviation  from 
the  standard  for  each  kind  of  expense.  These  coefficients  for 
any  city,  taken  all  together,  reveal  the  extent  to  which  that  city  is 
out  of  balance  with  the  group  standard.  Those  for  Brookhne 
are  contained  in  Table  No.  8. 


School  Finances 


65 


TABLE  NO.  8. 

A  Comparison  of  the  Distribution  of  Expenses  of  Ele- 
mentary Schools  in  Brookline  with  the  Distribution 
IN  15  Selected  Cities. 


Distribu- 
tion 

Supervisors 2.7 

Principals 7.8 

Teachers 62.4 

Textbooks 1.8 

Stationery 2.9 

Janitors 7.0 

Heat,  light  and  janitors'  supplies ....       5.8 

Maintenance  (repairs) 6.0 

Libraries .1 

Health 9 

Transportation '     1.0 

Miscellaneous 1.2 


OOKLINE 

Coefficients  of 

distribu- 

^Deviation-^ 

tion 

Above         Below 

1.6 

-40 

10.6 

+36 

56.6 

-09 

1.8 

+29 

3.2 

+10 

8.6 

+23 

7.1 

+22 

7.1 

+18 

1.2 

+26 

1.2 

+20 

1.4 

+17 

Total, 


99.6 


100. 


The  position  of  Brookline  among  the  other  cities  as  regards 
costs  per  pupil  and  the  distribution  of  expenses  for  elementary 
schools  is  represented  graphically  in  Diagram  I.  The  solid  line 
represents  the  former  as  given  in  Table  No.  6  and  is  to  be  read  by 
the  scale  at  the  left;  the  dotted  line  shows  the  per  cent  or  coefficients 
of  deviation  of  the  distribution  given  in  Table  No.  8  and  is  to  be 
read  by  the  scale  in  the  middle.  The  horizontal  space  given  each 
class  of  expenses  represents  the  group  standard  for  distribution 
of  expenses. 


66 


School  Survey  of  Brookline 
DIAGRAM  I. 


Costs  of  Elementary  Schools  and  Distribution  of  p]x- 
PENSES  Thereof  in  BROOKLINE  Compared  with  Costs 
AND  Distribution  in  15  Selected  Cities. 


"2       w       >•       ^ 


School  Finances  67 

These  tables  and  diagrams  taken  of  themselves  raise  certain 
questions  as:  (1)  Should  not  teachers'  salaries  be  raised?  (2) 
Should  not  the  number  of  super\dsors  or  their  salaries  be  increased? 

(3)  Should  not  the  large  expenditures  for  principals  be  reduced? 

(4)  Should  not  expenses  for  janitors  be  reduced?  (5)  Cannot 
costs  of  (a)  heating,  lighting  and  janitors'  supplies  and  (6)  repairs 
be  reduced? 

Our  data  show  that,  as  measured  by  the  costs  of  schools  in 
other  cities,  Brookline  costs  are  extreme  in  varying  degrees  in 
these  classes  of  expenses.  The  burden  of  proof  is  thus  placed 
upon  those  in  charge  of  the  Brookline  schools  to  justify  the  present 
expenditures  in  these  respects.  The  Survey  Committee  can  assist 
the  School  Committee  by  furnishing  still  further  information 
which  has  a  bearing  upon  the  solution  of  certain  of  these  problems. 
But  before  setting  forth  this  information  it  desires  to  point  out 
that  which  appears  later  in  this  chapter,  namely,  Brookhne  is 
less  burdened  than  any  other  city  in  the  selected  group,  and  pos- 
sibly than  any  other  city  of  the  United  States,  in  the  support  of 
its  pubhc  schools,  and  it  spends  less  upon  them,  proportionately 
to  what  it  spends  for  other  municipal  purposes,  than  any  other 
city  for  which  data  are  available.  None  of  these  expenditures 
can  be  curtailed,  therefore,  on  the  ground  of  large  amounts  of 
money  spent  for  schools.  This  does  not  preclude,  however,  con- 
sideration of  the  question  whether  the  money  is  spent  efficiently 
or  without  waste,  or  whether  it  might  not  be  spent  to  better 
advantage.  This  is  a  proper  inquiry,  no  matter  what  the  amount 
of  wealth  available  may  be,  and  it  is  from  this  standpoint  that  the 
further  treatment  proceeds. 

Table  No.  9  gives  a  comparison  of  the  salaries  paidin  the  various 
cities  of  the  selected  group  for  which  complete  and  accurate  data 
were  obtainable.  The  figures  given  are  in  each  case  the  median 
salary  and  are  taken  from  Bulletins  United  States  Bureau  of 
Education,  1914,  No.  16,  and  1916,  No.  31. 


68 


School  Survey  of  Brookline 


TABLE  NO.  9. 

Salaries  in  Brookline  Compared  with  Salaries  in    Other 
Cities  of  Selected  Group  1912-13. 


Kinder- 
garten 

1-2  5 
111 

3  « 

if 

>> 

jl 

.C-O.I 

-2 

Q-^ 

.25 

Berkeley 

900 
840 
804 

'720 
360 

2000 
1600 

1300 
1100 

1920 
1900 
1800 

1140 
1100 
936 
924 
800 
750 
900 
775 
750 
800 
875 
850 
625 

3000 
3000 
2700 

1500 

Pasadena 

1500 

San  Dieffo                       .... 

1500 

Oolorado  SDrincs     

Evanston                        

Oak  Park                        

Brookline 

Newton          .  .            

775 
650 

675 
.SOO 

1600 
2000 
2000 
1200 

900 
750 
900 
800 

2500 
2300 
1150 
2900 

3680 
3500 
3200 
3000 

1425 
1100 

Sprinfffield 

700    500 
900   500 

1050 

East  Oranee 

1200 

New  Rochelle : . .  . 

Madison      

880 

700 

1350 

1000 

1900 

3100 

1400 

1.  The  salaries  of  elementary  teachers  in  Brookhne  were  in 
1913  exceeded  by  no  cities  in  the  group  except  those  in  the  moun- 
tain and  Pacific  States.  In  fact,  only  eight  of  about  250  cities 
of  all  sizes  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  included  in  these  sources 
of  information  had  higher  salaries  and  all  of  these  had  larger 
populations  than  Brookhne.  On  the  other  hand,  it  should  be 
remembered  that  many  cities  have  advanced  their  salaries  during 
the  past  few  years,  while  those  of  Brookhne  are  much  the  same  as 
in  1913. 

2.  The  low  rank  and  the  small  proportion  for  salaries  of 
supervisors  is  probably  caused  largely  by  other  cities  charging  to 
supervisors  the  salaries  of  teachers  of  special  subjects  which  should 
have  been  charged  to  teachers'  salaries.  Brookline  does  not  pay 
as  liberally,  however,  to  its  supervisors  in  general  and  to  its 
teachers  of  special  subjects  as  to  its  teachers  of  elementary  schools. 
It  would  seem,  therefore,  that  the  School  Committee  would  be 
justified  in  increasing  such  salaries.  The  salaries  of  directors  of 
kindergartens  are  likewise  lower  than  in  other  cities,  but  in  this 


School  Finances  6^ 

connection  the  large  cost  per  pupil  of  kindergartens  shown  above 
must  be  taken  into  account. 

All  in  all,  it  seems  from  the  above  considerations  that  the 
expenses  in  which  Brookline  is  low  in  its  distribution  of  expenses 
are  not  serious  in  character.  This  fact  tends  to  magnify  the 
deviations  upon  the  other  side,  to  which  we  now  turn. 

3.  The  high  cost  per  pupil  and  the  large  proportion  of  total 
expense  for  principals  is  explained  by  the  high  salaries  paid. 
They  are  higher  than  in  any  city  in  the  group  except  East  Orange, 
in  which  city  the  cost  per  pupil  is  SI. 63  less,  and  approximates 
the  salaries  paid  in  the  largest  cities,  where  the  number  of  pupils 
per  principal  is  five  or  more  times  as  great.  This  is  the  most 
costly  feature  of  the  Brookline  schools.  With  the  establishment 
of  a  Junior  High  School  the  need  for  such  large  expenditures  for 
this  purpose  would  be  considerably  lessened.  A  portion  of  these 
amounts  saved  would  be  sufficient  to  secure  an  assistant  superin- 
tendent who  is  expert  in  efficiency  studies  in  the  various  educational 
fields. 

4.  The  salaries  and  wages  to  be  paid  for  janitorial  service 
cannot  be  easily  standardized,  owing  to  the  peculiar  conditions 
in  various  communities.  The  Survey  Committee  is  unable  to 
secure  satisfactory  comparable  data  showing  salaries  and  wages 
paid  in  other  cities.  It  is  clear  that  Brookline  is  having  to  pay 
more  for  janitorial  service  per  pupil  in  average  daily  attendance 
than  in  other  cities,  but  this  may  be  due  in  part  to  the  small 
number  of  pupils  in  the  classroom  —  how  much,  we  do  not  know. 
On  the  other  hand,  it  seems  that  the  scope  of  the  janitors'  duties  — 
entirely  within  the  building  —  is  not  so  wide  as  in  most  cities 
where  they  look  after  the  grounds  as  well.  While  the  janitorial 
work  is,  on  the  whole,  well  done,  it  may  be  fairly  questioned 
whether  it  could  not  be  done  as  well  by  a  smaller  number  of 
employees  closely  supervised  from  the  Superintendent's  office, 
whether  the  janitorial  force  is  most  economically  distributed 
among  the  various  buildings  and  whether  fewer  men  could  not  be 
employed  during  the  summer  months. 

In  considering  these  questions,  the  decision  of  the  Brookline 
janitors  to  waive  their  privileges  under  the  eight-hour  law  and  to 


70  School  Survey  of  Erookline 

devote  to  their  work  such  hours  as  may  prove  to  be  necessary 
should  be  given  due  weight. 

5.  It  is  unfortunate  that  it  is  not  possible  to  separate  the 
items  of  (1)'  heat,  (2)  light,  power  and  water  and  (3)  janitors' 
supplies  from  each  other,  and  to  locate  definitely  the  items  in 
which  Brookline  is  high.  High  costs  per  pupil  for  heat  because 
of  the  climate  and  large  amount  of  floor  space  per  pupil  may  be 
reasonably  expected.  Costs  of  hght,  power  and  water  seem 
reasonable. 

In  regard  to  janitors'  supphes,  however,  the  Survey  Com- 
mittee is  of  the  opinion  that  economies  may  well  be  introduced 
through  the  purchasing  of  these  supplies  under  a  system  of  annual 
contracts  without  regard  to  the  residences  of  the  bidders,  preceded 
by  proper  advertising.  This  is  a  plan  followed  in  the  purchasing  of 
stationery  and  other  instruction  supplies,  and  the  fact  that  this 
class  of  expenses  is  among  the  lowest  in  the  schools  of  Brookline 
indicates  the  wisdom  and  practicability  of  extending  this  plan 
to  the  purchasing  of  janitors'  supplies. 

It  is  believed  by  the  Survey  Committee  that  greater  efliciency 
in  the  administration  of  the  material  side  of  the  schools  could  be 
secured  by  a  better  organization  of  the  stock  room,  of  the  issuance 
of  supplies  to  the  various  buildings,  and  of  the  utilization  of  the 
time  of  the  clerk  in  charge  of  buildings.  It  is  impossible  in  the 
time  that  the  committee  has  at  its  command  to  go  into  this  phase 
of  administration  in  sufficient  detail  to  suggest  definite  methods 
of  reorganization.  It  therefore  suggests  to  the  School  Committee 
that  a  more  detailed  study  of  the  organization  and  procedure  in 
this  division  of  the  schools  be  made  at  an  early  day,  in  order  to 
ascertain  the  exact  conditions  and  to  formulate  plans  for  the  most 
effective  administration. 


School  Finances 


71 


Analysis  of  Costs  —  Secondary  Schools. 
TABLE  NO.  10. 

Average  Cost  per  Pupil  in  15  Selected  Cities  for  Years 

1914-15  AND  1915-16  OF  Various  Classes  of  Expenses  of 

Secondary  Schools  Arranged   in  Order   of  their 


Amounts. 


(a) 

Salaries  and  Expenses  of 

Supervisors. 

1.  Wellesley $12.30* 

2.  Milton :...       5.55* 

3.  White  Plains 5.51 

4.  Montclair 4.68 

5.  Brookline 3. 54 

6.  Yonkers 3.20 

7.  NewRochelle 2.36 

8.  Madison 1.98 

9.  San  Diego 1.33 

10.  Newton 83 

11.  Pasadena 

12.  Colorado  Springs 

13.  Springfield 

14.  East  Orange .  .  : 

15.  Berkeley 


Boston 

Los  Angeles . 


1.13 


(h) 


Salaries  and  Expenses  of 
Principals. 

1.  Brookline* $10.19 

2.  NewRochelle 5.97 

3.  Newton 5.87 

4.  Springfield 5.77 

5.  Pasadena •  4.42 

6.  East  Orange 4.32 

7.  Madison 3.84 

8.  Berkeley 3.70 

9.  Yonkers 3.65 

10.  San  Diego. 3.47 

11.  Colorado  Springs 3.20 

12.  White  Plains 2.57 

13.  Milton t 

14.  WeUesley t 

15.  Montclair t 

Boston 4.50 

Los  Angeles 8 .  46 


*  Supervisors'  and  principals'  salaries  and  expenses  combined.        fSee  (a). 


(c) 
Salaries  of  Teachers. 

1.  Pasadena $94.82 

2.  San  Diego 83.24 

3.  Brookline 78.60 

4.  Montclair 73.16 

5.  Berkeley 72.79 

6.  Springfield 70.10 

7.  East  Orange 64.95 

8.  New  Roehelle 57.41 

9.  Yonkers 54.92 

10.  Newton 53.42 

11.  White  Plains 52.68 

12.  Colorado  Springs 50.58 

13.  Wellesley 49.92 

14.  Madison 44.30 

15.  Milton 36.51 

Boston 62.22 

Los  Angeles 115.18 


id) 
Textbooks. 

1.  White  Plains $4.37 

2.  NewRochelle 2.93 

3.  East  Orange 2.68 

4.  Wellesley 2.61 

5.  Yonkers 2.60 

6.  Brookline 2.55 

7.  Springfield 2.53 

8.  Montclair 2.42 

9.  Colorado  Springs 1 .  61 

10.  Newton 1.38 

11.  Milton 82 

12.  Madison 12 

13.  Pasadena 

14.  Berkeley 

15.  San  Diego 

Boston 3.22 

Los  Angeles 


72 


School  Survey  of  Brookline 


(e) 

Stationery,  Supplies  and  Other 

Expenses  of  Instruction. 

1.  San  Diego $8.67 

2.  East  Orange 7.82 

3.. White  Plains 7.49 

4.  Wellesley 7.30 

5.  Pasadena 7.09 

6.  Springfield 7.00 

7.  Brookline 6.61 

8.  New  Rochelle 6.23 

9.  Montclair 4.86 

10.  Colorado  Springs 4.82 

11.  Milton 4.61 

12.  Newton 3.63 

13.  Madison 3.44 

14.  Berkeley 3.30 

15.  Yonkers 2.48 

Boston 3.61 

Los  Angeles 7 .  23 


(/) 

Wages  of  Janitors. 

1.  San  Diego S8.67 

2.  East  Orange 7.82 

3.  Brookline 7.76 

4.  White  Plains 7.49 

5.  Wellesley 7.30 

6.  Pasadena 7.09 

7.  Springfield 7.00 

8.  New  Rochelle 6.23 

9.  Montclair 4.86 

10.  Colorado  Springs 4 .  82 

11.  Milton 4.61 

12.  Newton 3.63 

13.  Madison 3.44 

14.  Berkeley 3.30 

15.  Yonkers 2 .  48 

Boston 3.61 

Los  Angeles 7.23 


(9) 

Heat,  Light,  Water,  Power  and 

Janitors'  Supplies. 

1.  White  Plains $6.38 

2.  Wellesley 5.92 

3.  East  Orange 5.68 

4.  Springfield 5 .  54 

5.  Madison 5 .  54 

6.  Montclair 4.75 

7.  Milton 4.40 

8.  Colorado  Springs ......  4 .  35 

9.  New  Rochelle 4.32 

10.  Pasadena 4.25 

11.  San  Diego 3.64 

12.  Brookline 3.18 

13.  Newton 2.57 

14.  Yonkers 1.62 

15.  Berkeley 1.41 

Boston 2.71 

Los  Angeles 3 .  27 


(h) 

Maintenance  (Repairs  and 
Replacement). 

1.  San  Diego $15.03 

2.  Pasadena 13.20 

3.  Colorado  Springs 6.69 

4.  S  pringfield • 4.51 

5.  Berkeley 4.43 

6.  Newton 4.20 

7.  Yonkers 4.06 

8.  White  Plains 3.83 

9.  New  Rochelle 3.56 

10.  Milton 2.68 

11.  East  Orange 2.50 

12.  Brookline 2.48 

13.  Madison 2.32 

14.  Wellesley 1.85 

15.  Montclair 82 

Boston 2.32 

Los  Angeles 7 .  96 


School  Finances 


73 


(i) 

Libraries. 

1.  Pasadena $2.27 


2.  White  Plains 

3.  San  Diego 

4.  Colorado  Springs . 

5.  East  Orange.  ... 

6.  Berkeley 

7.  New  Rochelle .  .  . 

8.  Montclair 

9.  Yonkers 

10.  Madison 

11.  Wellesley 

12.  Springfield 

13.  Milton 

14.  Brookline 

15.  Newton 


2.19 

1.74 

1.20 

1.03 

.92 

.28 

.08 

.06 

.03 

.03 


Boston 

Los  Angeles 2.62 


0')  • 

Health. 
1.  White  Plains. $2. 12 


2.  Madison 

3.  Montclair 

4.  Brookline 

5.  East  Orange. .  .  . 

6.  Yonkers 

7.  New  Rochelle .  .  . 

8.  San  Diego 

9.  Wellesley 

10.  Springfield 

11.  Pasadena 

12.  Milton 

13.  Newton 

14.  Colorado  Springs . 

15.  Berkeley 


.55 
.52 

.4^ 
.42 
.14 
.10 
.08 
.03 


Boston 01 

Los  Angeles 1 .  58 


(fc) 
Miscellaneous. 


1.  New  Rochelle $10.05 

2.  Pasadena 3.58 

3.  Madison 3.19 

4.  Brookline 1 .43 

5.  San  Diego 1.33 

6.  Colorado  Springs 1 .  30 

7.  WeUesley 46 

8.  East  Orange .41 

9.  Berkeley 09 


10.  Montclair $0.06 

11.  Springfield * 

12.  Newton 

13.  Yonkers 

14.  Milton 

15.  White  Plains 

Boston 1.46 

Los  Angeles 4.42 


•  Libraries,  health,  transportation  and  miscellaneous  undivided. 


74 


School  Survey  of  Brookline 


•  TABLE  11. 

Proportion  of  Total  Expenses  of  Secondary  Schools  in  15 

Selected  Cities  Expended  for  Each  Class  of  Expense  ; 

IN  THE  Years  1914-15  and  1915-16,  Arranged  in  Order 

OF  THEIR  Amounts. 

(a) 

Supervisors'  Salaries  and 
Expenses. 

1.  Wellesley 14.4 


Principals'  Salaries  and 
Expenses. 


2.  Milton 

3.  White  Plains. 

4.  Montclair.  .  .  . 

5.  Yonkers 

6.  Brookline.  .  .  . 

7.  Madison 

8.  New  Rochelle. 

9.  San  Diego.  .  . 

10.  Newton 

11.  Pasadena.  .  . . 

12.  Springfield... 

13.  Ea,st  Orange.  . 

14.  Berkeley 


9.5 
6.0 
5.0 
4.2 
3.0 
3.0 
2.4 
1.1 
1.1 


15.  Colorado  Springs, 


1.  Brookline 

2.  Newton 

3.  New  Rochelle .  .  . 

4.  Madison 

5.  Springfield 

6.  Yonkers 

7.  East  Orange .... 

8.  Colorado  Springs . 

Berkeley 

Pasadena 

San  Diego 

White  Plains 

Montclair 

Wellesley 

Milton 


8.7 
7.9 


(c) 
Teachers'  Salari 

1.  Berkeley 

2.  Montclair 

3.  Yonkers 

4.  Newton 

5.  East  Orange 

6.  Colorado  Springs.  .  .  . 

7.  Pasadena 

8.  Brookline 

9.  San  Diego 

10.  Madison 

11.  Springfield 

12.  Milton 

13.  Wellesley 

14.  New  Rochelle 

15.  White  Plains 


80.0 

78.1 
72.4 
71.8 
69.5 
68.4 
76.8 
67.2 


67 
66 
65 

62 

58, 
58 
57. 


(d) 
Textbooks. 

1.  Pasadena 

2.  White  Plains 

3.  Yonkers 

4.  Wellesley 

5.  New  Rochelle 

6.  East  Orange 

7.  Montclair 

8.  Springfield , 

9.  Brookline 

10.  Colorado  Springs . . . 

11.  Newton 

12.  Milton 

13.  Madison , 

14.  San  Diego , 

15.  Berkeley 


5.4 
4.7 
3.4 
3.1 
3.0 
2.9 
2.6 
2.4 
2.2 
2.1 
1.9 
1.4 
2 


School  Finances 


75 


(e) 

Stationery  and  Instruction 

Supplies. 

1.  Springfield 8.4 

2.  Milton 7.0 

3.  White  Plains 5.7 

4.  Wellesley 5.7 

5.  Brookline 5 .6 

6.  NewRochelle 5.3 

7.  Berkeley 4.8 

8.  Colorado  Springs 4.2 

9.  San  Diego.  . 4.1 

10.  Wellesley 4.0 

11.  East  Orange 3.9 

12.  Newton 3.3 

13.  Montclair 2.5 

14.  Madison 2.4 

15.  Pasadena .7 

(9) 

Heat,   Light,  Water,  Power  and 

Janitors'  Supplies. 

1.  Madison 8.3 

2.  Milton 7.5 

3.  White  Plains 6.9 

4.  Wellesley 6.9 

5.  East  Orange 6.1 

6.  Colorado  Springs 5.7 

7.  Springfield 5.2 

8.  Montclair 5.1 

9.  NewlRochelle 4.4 

10.  Newton 3.5 

11.  Pasadena 3.0 

12.  San  Diego 2.9 

13.  Brookline 2.7 

14.  Yonkers 2.1 

15.  Berkeley 1.6 


(/) 

Janitors'  Salaries. 

1.  Wellesley 8.6 

2.  East  Orange 8.4 

3.  White  Plains 8.1 

4.  Milton.'. 7.8 

5.  San  Diego 7.0 

6.  Brookline 6.6 

7.  Springfield 6.5 

8.  NewRochelle 6.3 

9.  Colorado  Springs 6.3 

10.  Montclair 5.2 

11.  Madison 5.1 

12.  Newton 4.9 

13.  Berkeley 3.6 

14.  Yonkers 3.3 

15.  Pasadena 2.4 

{h) 

Maintenance  (Repairs  and 

Replacement). 

1.  San  Diego 12.1 

2.  Pasadena 9.4 

3.  Colorado  Springs 8.7 

4.  Newton 5.7 

5.  Yonkers 5.4 

6.  Berkeley 4.9 

7.  Milton 4.6 

8.  Springfield 4.2 

9.  White  Plains 4.2 

10.  New  Rochelle 3.6 

11.  Madison 3.5 

12.  East  Orange 2.7 

13.  Wellesley 2.2 

14.  Brookline 2.1 

15.  Montclair .9 


76 


School  Survey  of  Brookline 


(i) 
Libraries. 

1.  White  Plains 2.4 

2.  Pasadena 1.6 

3.  Colorado  Springs 1.6 

4.  San  Diego 1.4 

5.  East  Orange 1.1 

6.  Berkeley 1.0 

7.  NewRochelle 3 

8.  Montclair .1 

9.  Yonkers .1 

10.  Wellesley T 

11.  Madison T 

12.  Springfield 

13.  Newton 

14.  Brookline 

15.  Milton 

(k) 
Transportation. 

1.  San  Diego 1.6 

2.  Pasadena 

3.  Brookline 

4.  Springfield 

5.  New  Rochelle 

6.  Montclair 

7.  East  Orange 

8.  White  Plains 

9.  Berkeley 

10.  Yonkers 

11.  Wellesley 

12.  Colorado  Springs 

13.  Newton 

14.  Madison 

15.  Milton 

T= trace. 


(i) 

Health. 

1.  White  Plains 2.3 

2.  Madison .8 

3.  San  Diego .7 

4.  Montclair .6 

5.  East  Orange .4 

6.  Brookline .4 

7.  Yonkers .2 

8.  NewRochelle 1 

9.  WeUesley T 

10.  Springfield.  -. 

11.  Pasadena 

12.  Berkeley 

13.  Colorado  Springs 

14.  Newton 

15.  Milton 

(0 

Miscellaneous. 

1.  NewRochelle 10.2 

2.  Madison 4.8 

3.  Pasadena 2.6 

4.  Colorado  Springs 1.7 

5.  Brookline 1 .2 

6.  San  Diego 1.1 

7.  Wellesley .5 

8.  East  Orange .4 

9.  Montclair .1 

10.  Berkeley .1 

11.  Springfield 

12.  White  Plains 

13.  Yonkers 

14.  Newton 

15.  Milton : 


School  Finances 


77 


DIAGRAM  2. 

Costs  of  Secondary  Schools  and  Distribution  of  Expenses 

Thereof  in  BROOKLINE  Compared  with  Costs  and 

Distribution  in  15  Selected  Cities. 


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7&  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

Tables  Nos.  10  and  11  and  Diagram  2  furnish  for  secondary 
schools  the  same  types  of  data  as  those  provided  for  elementary 
schools  in  Tables  Nos.  7  and  8  and  Diagram  1. 

On  the  whole,  there  is  a  better  distribution  of  expenses. 
The  high  costs  of  principals  are  in  agreement  with  the  high  salaries 
paid.  The  organization  of  a  separate  secondary  school  for  a 
small  school  of  60  or  70  and  the  appointment  of  a  principal  at  a 
salary  equivalent  to  that  paid  in  the  largest  high  schools,  instead 
of  creating  a  new  department  in  the  already  existing  high  school 
and  employing  a  head  at  $1000  less,  has  operated  materially  to 
increase  the  cost  at  this  point.  The  adoption  of  the  Junior  High 
School  organization  and  the  amalgamation  of  the  two  high  schools 
would  operate  to  decrease  costs  here  as  in  the  case  of  the  salaries 
of  principals  of  elementary  schools. 

While  the  teachers  of  the  high  schools  were  the  best  paid  of 
all  eastern  and  middle  west  cities  in  the  group  of  1913,  yet 
relatively  to  the  other  expenses  they  were  not  receiving  a  dispro- 
portionate share.  The  low  costs  for  heat,  light,  etc.,  in  the  high 
school  are  brought  about  in  part,  at  least,  by  the  municipal  heating 
plant. 

In  concluding  this  portion  of  the  chapter  it  should  be  said 
that  while  Brookline  is  making  large  expenditures  for  schools  and 
while  it  is  possible  for  her  to  introduce  certain  economies,  yet  her 
schools  have  been  administered  as  economically  as  most  city 
school  systems.  The  Survey  Committee  believes  it  to  be  its 
duty  to  point  out  ways  in  which  efficiencies  of  costs  may  be  im- 
proved, but  in  doing  this  it  does  not  wish  to  be  understood  as 
making  any  serious  criticisms  of  the  administration  of  the  schools. 

Is  Brookline  Spending  as  Large  a  Proportion  of  Her 
Expenditures  Upon  Public  Schools  as  Other  Cities? 
But  aside  from  these  questions,  is  Brookhne  putting  as  much 
money  into  its  schools  as  it  should?  With  the  good  schools  that 
she  has,  ought  she  not  to  put  still  more  money  into  them?  Is 
she  doing  as  well  by  her  schools  as  she  is  doing  for  her  public 
undertakings  when  compared  with  what  other  cities  of  this  selected 
group  are  doing? 


School  Finances  79 

The  United  States  Census  Office,  the  authority  on  such  ques- 
tions as  this,  gatliers  data  only  for  cities  having  over  30,000 
population.  But  nine  of  the  17  selected  cities  fall  within  this 
group  in  its  financial  statistics  for  1915.  Comparable  data  for 
Brookline  are  found  in  the  ninth  annual  report  of  the  Massachusetts 
Bureau  of  Statistics.  The  percentage  of  the  total  municipal 
expenditure  spent  for  schools  is  as  follows: 

Berkeley 53.5         Yonkers 30.8 

Pasadena 46.3        Brookline 23.8 


Median 36.8 

Per  cent  for  all  cities  in  United 

States,  50,000-100,000 38 . 5 


Colorado  Springs 44 . 2 

East  Orange 41 . 5 

New  Rochelle 38 . 1 

Newton 35 . 5 

San  Diego 33.9         Boston 35.3 

Springfield 33.6        Los  Angeles 35.0 

The  wealth  of  Brookline  is  so  large  and  the  number  of  chil- 
dren enrolled  in  proportion  to  her  population  is  so  small  when 
compared  with  other  cities  that  notwithstanding  she  gives  to  the 
support  of  her  schools  almost  as  much  as  any  other  city  for  each 
pupil,  she  still  gives  the  least  per  cent  of  her  total  expenditure 
to  schools.  According  to  the  group  standard,  $150,000  now  going 
for  other  purposes  should  go  to  schools,  but  if  Brookline  wished 
not  to  lessen  the  amounts  spent  in  other  departments  she  should 
increase  her  schools  expenditures  by  83  per  cent  in  order  to  come 
up  to  the  median,  or  average,  per  cent  for  the  selected  group;  and 
in  order  to  come  up  to  the  median  for  all  cities  of  the  United  States 
of  her  population  group,  the  school  expenditures  would  have  to 
be  doubled. 

Wliile  Brookhne  is  lowest  in  the  per  cent  expended  for  schools, 
it  is  first  in  four  of  the  nine  large  divisions  of  expenses  —  protec-' 
tion  of  person  and  property,  highways,  libraries  and  recreation. 
(See  Table  No.  7  in  appendix.) 

How  Much  Brookline  can  Expend  upon  its  Schools  without 
Burdening  its  People  More  than  Other  Cities. 
The  amount  of  the  burden  placed  upon  a  community  for  the 
support  of  its  schools  depends  largely  upon  the  true  value  of  its 


80  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

taxable  wealth,  the  number  of  pupils  in  the  schools  and  the  amount 
of  support  that  comes  from  sources  other  than  local  taxation. 
Since  the  Brookline  schools  are  supported  practically  by  local 
taxation  alone,  we  must  assume  that  no  other  city  will  receive  such 
support.  In  Table  No.  12  we  have,  therefore,  first  worked  out 
the  true  valuation  of  the  taxable  property  in  1912  (columns  2,  3 
and  4)  and  then  found  the  amount  of  such  property  that  there  is 
back  of  each  pupil  to  provide  his  schoohng  (columns  5  and  6). 
Into  this  amount  we  have  then  divided  the  actual  expenses  of 
educating  each  child  during  the  year  1913-14  in  order  to  obtain 
the  rate  of  tax  that  would  be  necessary  to  furnish  the  amount 
required  for  schooling  each  pupil.  This  last  figure  is  the  measure 
of  the  burden  now  placed  upon  the  taxable  wealth  of  the  people 
of  each  city  to  support  the  schools. 

Thus  it  is  seen  that  BrookUne  is  now  spending  upon  each 
pupil  in  average  daily  attendance  a  smaller  proportion  of  its 
wealth  than  any  other  city  in  the  group  and  probably  a  smaller 
proportion  than  any  city  in  the  country.  Notwithstanding  she 
now  expends  more  money  upon  each  pupil  than  any  other  city, 
with  probably  but  two  exceptions,  her  taxable  wealth  is  so  great 
that  she  could  double  the  amount  now  spent  upon  each  pupil 
without  placing  any  greater  burden  upon  her  taxable  property 
than  is  now  borne  by  Springfield  —  the  city  occupying  the  middle 
position  in  the  list  —  and  her  school  support  could  be  trebled 
without  making  so  great  a  burden  as  that  which  Yonkers  is  now 
bearing.  Of  the  two  cities  whose  expenses  per  pupil  exceed  those 
of  Brookline,  Pasadena  bears  a  burden  twice,  and  Montclair  two 
and  three-fourths  times,  as  heavy.* 

*  A  table  in  the  Report  of  the  Massachusetts  State  Board  of  Education 
for  1913-14  gives  the  "amount  appropriated" to  the  support  of  pubHc  schools 
for  each  thousand  dollars  of  valuation"  for  each  of  the  Massachusetts  cities 
in  the  selected  list  as  follows: 

Springfield 4.32        Wellesley 2.99 

Newton 3.99         Milton 2.92 

Boston 3.59         Brookline 2.29 

While  these  amounts  are  smaller  than  in  the  table  worked  out  above  on 
data  obtained  from  different  sources  and  by  a  different  method,  the  relative 
values  are  nearly  the  same.  They  thus  tend  to  confirm  the  validity  of  the 
previous  table  as  a  whole. 


School  Finances 


81 


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CHAPTER  IV. 

BUILDINGS  AND  EQUIPMENT. 

Size  of  Plant. 
The  Brookline  public  schools  are  housed  in  23  buildings^  of 
which  20  comprise  the  12  elementary  school  plants,  one  has  been 
discarded,  and  two  hold  the  high  school  and  the  School  of  Practi- 
cal Arts.  Of  these  23  buildings,  two  were  originally  erected 
within  the  past  nine  years,  six  within  19  years,  and  the  remaining 
15  were  built  20  years  or  more  ago.  The  Brookhne  schools,  as 
listed  in  the  Superintendent's  annual  report,  are  as  follows: 

Public  School  Buildings  of  Bkookline,  Massachusetts. 


School 

Rooms  Buildings 

Materials 

Built  or  Enlarged 

Newton  Street 

1 

Wood 

1768, 1839 

Longwood 

4 

Wood 

1864, 1898 

Parsons 

4 

Wood 

1883 

Winthrop* 

4 

Brick 

1887 

Cabot 

4 

Brick 

1888 

Lawrence 

6 

Brick, 

wood 

1874, 1885, 1891 

Sewall 

6 

Brick 

1892 

Driscoll 

8 

Brick 

1911 

Heath 

10 

Brick 

1904 

Runkle 

10 

3 

Brick 

1897, 1901 

Devotion 

20 

3 

Brick 

1892, 1899, 1914 

Pierce 

24 

2 

Brick 

1855, 1900, 1905 

Lincoln 

26 

4 

Brick 

1883, 1888, 1889, 1894, 1898 

High 

12  + 

1 

Brick 

1896, 1916 

Manual  Tr. 

12 

1 

Brick 

1902 

*  Winthrop  school  now 

closed. 

Small  Primary  Schools. 
Brookline  believes  in  having  its  primary  schools  and  kinder- 
gartens located  near  the  homes  of  the  children.     In  accordance 
with  this  policy  it  rarely  destroys  or 'abandons  a  building  so 

82 


School  Buildings  and  Equipment  83 

long  as  enough  children  can  be  found  living  near  to  fill  it.  In 
October,  1915,  the  school  department  maintained  seven  primary 
buildings  each  for  less  than  130  children.  The  Winthrop 
building  at  that  time  contained  only  48  children,  and  the  follow- 
ing fall  was  ordered  closed.  The  six  other  buildings  are  still  in 
use.  They  are  the  Sewall,  Parsons,  Cabot,  Longwood,  Lincoln 
primary,  and  Newton  Street  Schools.  These  buildings  are 
uniformly  old,  poorly  planned,  badly  heated  and  ventilated, 
dangerous  in  case  of  fire,  and  ill  adapted  to  modern  educational 
requirements.  It  is  probably  true  that  any  suggestion  to  abandon 
them  and  substitute  one  or  more  modern  buildings  in  their  stead 
would  arouse  opposition  on  the  part  of  mothers  who  do  not  wish 
their  children  to  walk  several  blocks  to  school,  and  of  principals 
whose  positions  carry  greater  responsibility  in  small  detached 
buildings  than  would  be  the  case  in  a  modern  consolidated  school. 

Location. 
It  is  safe  to  predict  that  if  a  committee  of  Brookfine  citizens 
should  draw  up  a  list  of  the  qualifications  that  a  school  site  should 
possess,  and  then  compare  the  present  sites  with  the  requirements 
formulated,  they  would  come  to  unanimous  agreement  that  not 
more  than  one  or  two  of  the  present  school  sites  met  their  own 
requirements.  The  high  school  and  Practical  Arts  buildings  are 
close  to  the  steam  railroad  fine.  The  Sewall  and  the  Lincoln 
grammar  buildings  face  directly  upon  a  noisy  highway  and  electric 
car  track;  while  the  Lincoln  primary  is  sandwiched  between  the 
electric  line  on  one  side  and  the  steam  railway  on  the  other. 
The  Pierce  primary  and  grammar  have  insufficient  play  space. 
The  Heath  is  located  at  the  foot  of  a  hill  on  springy  ground,  so 
that  it  is  difficult  to  keep  the  basement  dry.  The  Sewall,  Parsons, 
Longwood,  Lawrence,  and  Driscoll  buildings  are  all  approximately 
within  1000  feet  or  less  of  the  town  boundary  fine,  so  that,  instead 
of  each  being  the  center  of  a  natural  school  district,  they  are  on 
the  edge  and  draw  most  of  their  Brookline  population  from  one 
side.  As  has  already  been  mentioned  the  Winthrop  School, 
located  almost  exactly  on  the  boundary  fine,  has  recently  been 
closed  because  of  a  lack  of  children,  while  the  Longwood  is  run 


84  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

practically  for  the  benefit  of  children  living  in  Boston.  Of  the 
46  Longwood  children  interviewed  in  October,  1916,  ten  lived 
in  Brookhne  and  36  lived  in  Boston.  Boston  prefers  to  pay 
tuition  for  these  children  rather  than  erect  a  new  school  building 
of  her  own.  The  Devotion  School  is  somewhat  nearer  the  Harvard 
Avenue  car  line  than  is  desirable,  but  the  buildings  are  far  enough 
back  on  the  lot  to  escape  most  of  the  noise;  the  grounds  are 
ample,  and  the  school  well  located  with  respect  to  the  surrounding 
population.  The  Runkle  School  is  on  high  ground,  centrally 
l9cated,  with  large  play  spaces,  and  attractive  surroundings. 
It  is  excellently  placed. 

Districts. 

There  are  no  school  districts  in  Brookhne.  In  general* 
children  go  to  the  school  nearest  their  homes,  but  this  is  not 
always  the  case.  Some  of  the  children  living  on  the  hill  in  the 
Walnut  Street  region,  for  example,  who  are  within  a  short  walk 
of  the  Sewall,  Parsons,  and  Lincoln  Schools  actually  attend  the 
Pierce  or  Lawrence,  which  are  at  a  considerable  distance,  and 
across  dangerous  electric  car  tracks.  Kindergartens  are  main- 
tained in  each  of  the  Sewall,  Parsons,  and  Lincoln  Schools,  but 
some  of  the  parents  of  the  district  enclosed  by  these  buildings 
have  refused  to  send  their  younger  children  to  any  of  these  kinder- 
gartens, with  the  result  that  two  little  rooms  on  the  second  floor 
of  the  Manual  Arts  High  School  have  been  turned  into  a  kinder- 
garten for  these  children. 

Partly  as  a  result  of  the  tendency  of  people  to  live  in  groups 
of  about  the  same  social  and  economic  status,  and  partly  because 
the  absence  of  school  district  lines  enables  parents  to  decide 
which  school  their  children  shall  attend,  each  of  the  twelve 
elementary  schools  now  in  use  has  a  distinctive  characteristic, 
so  that  in  talking  to  teachers  and  townspeople  one  hears  such 
expressions  as  ''that's  for  low-class  Irish,"  ''second-generation 
Irish  go  there,"  "mostly  Jewish  and  professional  men's  children," 
"offspring  of  old  Brookline  families,"  "only  middle-class  school 
in  town,"  "new  rich,"  "our  pubhc-private  school,"  etc.  Probably 
no  school  cares  exclusively  for  one  type  of  children.     In  two  of 


School  Buildings  and  Equipment  85 

the  so-called  exclusive  schools  poor  children  were  pointed  out  as 
interesting  cases,  to  demonstrate  the  democratic  atmosphere 
existing.  Said  one  principal,  "We  have  had  a  coachman's  son 
sitting  in  the  same  room  with  one  of  the  children  of  his  father's 
employer."  It  seems  to  be  true,  however,  that  class  distinctions 
are  more  closely  marked  between  Brookline  schools  than  is 
generally  the  case  between  schools  of  other  American  communities. 

The  establishment  of  definite  school  districts  and  the  require- 
ment that  all  children  Hving  within  the  circumscribed  area  attend 
a  given  school  would  probably  have  three  definite  results :  In  the 
first  place  a  few  parents  might  remove  their  children  from  the 
public  schools  to  send  them  to  private  schools.  Fear  of  such  a  result 
is  frequently  voiced  as  an  argument  against  proposed  changes. 
The  prophecy  is  probably  well  founded.  That  the  loss  of  these 
wealtliier  children  would  seriously  hamper  the  school  system  is 
more  open  to  question. 

The  second  probable  result  of  the  establishment  of  school 
districts  is  that,  while  the  differences  between  schools  would 
still  be  marked,  enough  mixing  would  occur  so  that  the  presence 
of  a  rich  child  in  a  poor  school  or  a  poor  child  in  a  rich  school 
would  not  be  an  occasion  for  comment.  The  children  themselves 
would  become  less  conscious  of  class  distinctions. 

In  the  third  place,  if  definite  school  districts  were  established 
the  work  of  each  school  would  probably  be  considerably  strength- 
ened by  the  increased  interest  of  parents  Uving  in  the  district. 
If  the  children  living  in  the  Walnut  Hill  district,  for  example, 
went  as  a  matter  of  course  to  the  Sewall,  Parsons,  Lincoln  gram- 
mar, and  Lincoln  primary,  it  is  highly  probable  that  within  a 
very  short  time  the  parents  of  that  section  would  ask  the  town 
for  a  new  building  to  take  the  place  of  the  old  and  undesirable 
structures  now  in  use.  In  a  similar  way  for  other  schools  com- 
munity interest  would  be  focused  and  responsibility  for  specific 
local  conditions  fixed  on  definite  groups. 

From  the  administrative  point  of  view  school  districts  are 
desirable  because  they  make  for  greater  efficiency.  For  example, 
under  the  present  arrangements  whenever  the  Board  of  Health 
sends  word  to  the  attendance  officer  that  a  school  child  has 


86  School  Survey  of  Brookltne 

been  discovered  suffering  from  contagious  disease  the  latter  is 
obliged  to  make  a  special  trip  to  the  home  of  the  child  before 
he  can  discover  to  which  school  it  belongs  and  notify  the  teacher. 
Were  district  lines  established  and  enforced  the  address  of  the 
child  would  be  sufficient  indication  of  the  school  which  he  attends, 
and  the  need  for  time-consuming  house-to-house  \dsits  would  be 
ehminated. 

In  a  similar  way  the  school  nurse  would  be  able  to  use  her 
time  more  effectively  under  the  district  system,  by  spending  the 
entire  morning  at  a  given  school  and  the  afternoon  in  visiting 
parents  in  the  same  neighborhood  concerning  the  children  whom 
she  had  seen  in  the  morning.  Since  all  of  these  children  lived 
near  together  she  would  be  able  to  make  many  visits  with  Uttle 
waste  of  time.  Teachers,  also,  would  find  it  much  easier  to 
enter  into  the  outside  fives  of  their  pupils  if  the  latter  were  all 
grouped  near  together  with  the  same  community  interests. 

Perhaps  the  most  important  single  administrative  advantage 
of  the  school  district  plan  is  that  it  makes  possible  an  intelfigent 
use  of  the  school  census  as  a  basis  for  providing  new  buildings 
and  enlarging  accommodations  in  old  ones.  By  noting  each 
year  which  districts  are  increasing  in  child  population,  and  how 
much,  the  School  Committee  may  plan  months  ahead  where  it 
will  locate  new  buildings,  where  additions  should  be  made,  and 
where  old  buildings  should  be  discarded.  It  will  know  how 
many  new  teachers  will  be  needed  and  where  they  should  be 
assigned.  To  the  educational  administrator  school  districts  have 
few  drawbacks  and  marked  advantages.  To  the  citizens  of  an 
American  community  they  have  social  impfications  as  well. 

If  Brookfine  wishes  to  revert  towards  her  democratic  atmos- 
phere of  earfier.days  one  partial  means  of  doing  so  would  be  to 
estabfish  school  districts  and  confine  enrollment  at  each  school 
to  children  fiving  within  that  district.  It  is  entirely  possible, 
however,  that  Brookfine  parents  do  not  wish  to  have  their  chil- 
dren associate  with  those  of  other  social  and  economic  ranks. 
They  may  feel  that  democracy  within  a  school  sj^stem  is  dangerous 
or  undesirable  and  that  until  children  reach  maturity  their  play- 
mates should  be  carefully  selected  and  supervised.     If  this  view 


School  Buildings  and  Equipment  87 

is  honestly  held,  not  only  by  the  wealthier  parents  but  by  the 
large  majority  of  Brookline  families,  any  proposition  to  estabUsh 
school  districts  must  inevitably  meet  with  overwhelming  op- 
position. ATembers  of  the  Survey  Staff  believe,  however,  that 
such  an  aristocratic  attitude  should  not  be  imputed  to  Brookline's 
people  ^vithout  giving  them  an  opportunity  clearly  to  face  the 
issue  and  decide  upon  their  stand. 

Upkeep  op  Plant. 

In  1902,  at  the  suggestion  of  Superintendent  Aldrich,  Brook- 
line  adopted  the  pohcy  of  appropriating  a  definite  amount  of 
money  for  the  express  purpose  of  renovating  one  or  more  schools 
each  year.  This  pohcy  of  systematic  and  continuous  attention 
to  the  upkeep  of  old  buildings  is  one  widely  adopted  in  progressive 
city  school  systems  and  is  to  be  commended.  While  several 
of  the  school  buildings  are  of  antiquated  pattern  and  unadapted 
to  modern  school  requirements,  all  of  them  are  in  a  good  state 
of  repair. 

Indoor  and  Outdoor  Upkeep. 

Responsibility  for  the  maintenance  of  school  buildings  does 
not,  however,  rest  entirely  upon  the  shoulders  of  the  School 
Department.  While  little  appears  in  the  printed  records  there 
exists  an  understanding  whereby  the  inside  of  a  building  belongs 
to  the  schools,  but  the  outside  belongs  to  the  Park  Department 
and  the  Selectmen.  The  following  statement  was  secured  from 
the  School  Department  as  its  understanding  of  the  arrangement: 

''The  School  Department  has  nothing  to  do  outside  of  the 
four  walls  of  a  building. 

''The  grading  and  landscape  gardening,  trimming  of  shrubs, 
mowing  of  grass,  etc.,  is  done  by  the  Park  Department. 

"The  school  janitors  clean  up  around  the  doorways  and 
while  the  Park  Department  is  supposed  to  shovel  off  the  walks 
the  janitors  generally  have  to  open  up  the  paths. 

"The  care  of  the  outside  of  the  buildings  is  in  the  hands  of 
the  Selectmen.  They  repair  the  roofs,  set  glass,  paint  sashes^ 
maintain  gutters,  conductors,  and  drains.  For  instance  they 
paint  the  outside  of  a  door,  and  the  School  Department  the  inside." 


88  School  Survey  of  Brookltne 

Teachers  in  the  high  school  are  obliged  to  seek  permission 
from  the  Park  authorities  before  they  can  cut  a  few  sprays  of 
lYj  for  use  in  school  festivals;  and  when  the  Survey  \'isitor  pointed 
■out  the  fact  that  bushes  and  vines  were  seriously  diminishing 
the  supply  of  hght  admitted  to  several  of  the  classrooms,  teachers 
replied  that  nothing  could  be  done,  since  the  Park  Department 
did  not  favor  removing  the  obstructions. 

In  other  words,  Brookline  regards  indoor  playgrounds  as 
educational  material,  outdoor  playgrounds  as  landscapes,  and 
paint  on  the  outside  of  a  schoolhouse  door  as  a  general  matter 
of  town  business.  In  1901  the  School  Department  requested 
that  responsibility  for  the  entire  upkeep  of  school  property, 
outdoors  as  well  as  in,  be  vested  in  the  school  authorities.  While 
not  a  matter  of  overwhelming  importance,  it  is  obvious  that 
•constant  petty  annoyances  must  arise  through  this  present  state 
•of  divided  responsibihty.  All  school  property  exists  for  educa- 
tional purposes  and  its  care  should  rest  upon  the  shoulders  of 
the  educational  authorities.  The  town  should  early  take  steps 
towards  this  end. 

Janitors  and  Their  Work. 

With  two  exceptions  the  janitors  employed  in  the  Brookline 
system  impressed  the  Survey  visitor  as  being  competent,  diligent, 
and  keenly  interested  in  the  welfare  of  the  schools  under  their 
charge.  They  have  evidently  been  selected  with  great  oare. 
The  relation  between  janitor,  principal,  teachers,  and  children 
seems  especially  friendly,  and  constitutes  a  real  and  important 
educational  asset. 

There  is  very  little  supervision;  each  janitor  arranges  his 
own  work  schedule  and  so  long  as  the  school  work  is  properly 
done  he  receives  few  suggestions  from  any  one  else. 

The  ''Rules  and  Regulations  of  the  School  Committee"  (1908) 
contain  specific  directions  for  cleaning  and  caring  for  school 
buildings,  but  in  at  least  several  instances  janitors  were  unaware 
that  such  rules  existed,  and  regularly  departed  from  them  in 
practice.  For  example,  the  rules  require  that  classrooms  be 
washed  once  a  month;  but  in  most  of  the  schools  floors  are  oiled 
instead  of  washed  —  which  is  probably  a  better  practice.     The 


School  Buildings  and  Equipment  89 

laissez  faire  method  of  janitorial  administration  in  the  small 
system  of  Brookline  has  resulted  in  the  development  of  a  group 
of  men  feeling  personal  responsibility  for  their  work,  and  capable 
of  independent  action.  This  happy  result  has  probably  be^ 
rendered  possible  first  by  the  smallness  of  the  system,  which  makes 
the  work  of  each  man  conspicuous,  and  second  by  the  care  exercised 
in  selecting  from  among  applicants  for  the  position. 

In  order  that  full  advantage  may  be  reaped  from  the  excellent 
features  now  existing,  it  is  desirable  that  there  be  closer  acquaint- 
anceship between  the  men.  In  several  cases  janitors  did  not 
know  the  names  of  men  in  other  buildings;  methods  used  by 
one  man  were  new  to  another,  and  valuable  experiences  were 
not  shared.  It  is  suggested  that  the  formation  of  an  organiza- 
tion of  Brookline  janitors  for  the  purpose  of  studying  janitorial 
problems  would  materially  benefit  both  the  schools  and  the  men 
themselves.  One  of  the  first  tasks  of  such  an  organization  might 
well  be  the  revision  of  the  1908  printed  schedule  for  janitor  service 
in  the  light  of  the  best  current  practice. 

Of  the  14  janitors  five  have  been  employed  by  the  system  for 
more  than  20  years.  The  shortest  term  is  two  years,  and  the 
average  15.  Salaries  range  from  S988  (not  including  $120  for 
part-time  service  at  the  Newton  Street  School)  to  SI 352,  with  an 
average  of  SI  114.  There  is  no  definite  basis  for  amount  of  salary 
or  number  of  assistants  provided  for  each  janitor.  In  some 
cases  janitors  feel  that  they  are  not  sufficiently  provided  with 
helpers,  and  that  their  working  hours,  especially  during  the 
winter  months,  are  too  long.  It  is  probably  true  that  some  of 
the  janitors  work  harder  than  others  and  receive  less  pay,  and 
that  some  janitors  should  not  be  expected  to  carry  on  their  work 
without  an  additional  helper,  but  specific  recommendations  along 
this  line  must  wait  until  a  more  careful  study  of  the  situation 
can  be  made. 

Any  schedule  of  payment  should  take  into  account  the  pro- 
fessional training  required,  floor  area  and  type  of  heating  and 
ventilating  apparatus  within  the  building,  assign  different  weights 
to  these  elements  according  to  their  relative  importance,  and 
base  salary  awards  upon  the  total  thus  found.     To  make  such 


90  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

a  schedule  is  a  difficult  problem.  Much  of  the  information  needed 
could  best  be  secured  by  a  committee  chosen  from  among  the 
janitors  themselves;  and  the  activities  of  such  a  committee  would 
probably  result  in  valuable  suggestions  to  the  School  Board  and 
an  increased  understanding  of  the  complexities  of  the  problem 
on  the  part  of  the  force. 

.  Janitors  are  paid  by  the  year,  but  are  not  required  to  do 
any  work  during  the  summer  months,  other  than  see  to  it  that 
the  buildings  are  ready  for  occupancy  by  September.  In  most 
well  organized  school  systems  janitors  are  busily  employed 
during  the  long  vacation  in  painting  fire  escapes  and  fences, 
repairing  school  grounds,  whitewashing  basements,  cleaning  the 
insides  of  boilers,  and  the  like.  The  following  sections  quoted 
from  the  ''Rules  of  the  Cleveland  Board  of  Education"  are  typical 
of  the  better  practice: 

''The  custodian  shall  devote  his  entire  time  to  the  building 
or  buildings  under  his  charge.  He  shall  report  at  the  building 
or  buildings  every  day  except  Sunday  or  national  legal  hoHdays 
not  later  than  7,45  a.m.  and  remain  at  the  building  until  4.45 
P.M.,  eastern  time.  .  .  .  During  vacation  periods  the  custodian 
may  be  absent  from  the  building  for  lunch  between  12  and  1 
o'clock   P.M." 

"Two  weeks'  vacation  with  full  pay  shall  be  allowed  all 
custodians  in  each  calendar  year.  ..." 

"At  the  end  of  every  school  year  the  custodian  shall  take  an 
inventory  of  all  serviceable  supplies  and  equipment  on  blanks 
furnished  for  this  purpose.  ..." 

"Pupils'  desks  must  be  washed  both  inside  and  out,  including 
the  iron  work,  during  summer  vacation." 

"During  the  summer  vacation  the  basement  must  be  thor- 
oughly cleaned  throughout  and  all  walls  and  ceilings  white- 
washed, excepting  in  cases  where  pressed  brick,  glazed  material, 
or  metal  work  is  used.  Special  attention  must  be  given  to  the 
toilet  rooms,  closets,  and  fresh  air  chambers." 

"The  custodian  must  see  that  all  iron  and  wood  fences, 
storm  and  outhouses,  outside  doors  of  the  buildings  and  screens 


School  Buildings  and  Equipment  91 

in  outside  basement  windows  are  painted  during  the  summer 
vacation,  if  necessary.     Write  the  general  foreman,  if  in  doubt." 

"The  custodian  shall  make  such  small  repairs  to  heating  and 
ventilating  systems,  Ughts,  etc.,  as  he  may  be  able  to  do.  These 
repairs  are  the  same  in  kind  as  any  engineer  would  be  expected 
to  make  in  any  plant  he  might  be  operating.  In  case  repairs 
are  necessary  to  machinery,  motors,  boilers,  lights,  etc.,  beyond 
his  ability,  he  shall  immediately  report  the  same  in  writing  to 
the  chief  custodian.  ..." 

''During  vacation  he  shall  clean,  oil,  and  adjust  all  clocks." 

''At  the  close  of  the  school  year  in  June  the  custodian  must 
remove  all  ashes,  etc.,  from  boiler  tubes,  smoke  pipes,  com- 
bustion chambers,  base  of  chimneys,  and  from  all  fixtures.  Boilers 
must  be  thoroughly  cleaned  and  everything  put  in  shape  ready  for 
inspection  by  the  inspector  of  boilers.  ..." 

"The  custodian  must  remove  all  packings  from  piston  rods, 
valve  stem  of  engine  and  pumps,  take  off  cyhnder  and  steam 
chest  covers,  clean  cylinders,  valve  seats,  and  piston  rods,  and 
oil  them  with  cyhnder  oil.  All  pumps  must  be  drained  and 
water  shut  off.  He  must  remove  belt  from  engines,  motors, 
and  shaftings,  clean  and  store  same  in  a  dry  place  for  the 
summer.  ..." 

"The  custodian  must  see  that  all  furnaces,  stack  heaters, 
stoves,  and  all  pipes  and  connections  are  thoroughly  cleaned. 
Stoves  shall  be  polished  and  all  black  iron  work  of  boiler 
fronts,  coils  in  plenum  chambers,  furnaces,  and  stack  heaters 
shall  be  painted." 

The  long  summer  vacation  offers  opportunity  for  valuable 
service  on  the  part  of  the  school  janitor.  This  report  suggests 
that  definite  hours  of  work,  and  specified  tasks,  together  with 
two  or  more  weeks  of  paid  vacation,  be  estabhshed  for  all  janitors 
during  the  summer  months. 


92  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

ELEMENTARY   SCHOOLS. 
Lighting. 
Proportion  of  Glass  to  Floor  Area. 

It  is  a  generally  accepted  standard  in  schoolhouse  construc- 
tion that  the  window  glass  area  for  each  schoolroom  should 
be  from  one-fifth  to  one-fourth  the  floor  area.  In  southern  com- 
munities it  may  even  be  one-sixth,  but  in  northern  States,  where 
there  is  less  strong  sunhght,  the  larger  proportion  is  necessary 
if  eyestrain  is  to  be  avoided.  Every  classroom  in  Brookline 
was  visited,  and  careful  measurements  were  taken  of  20  repre- 
sentative cases.  The  diagram  on  page  93  shows  the  proportion 
of  window  glass  area  to  floor  area  in  each  of  rooms  studied. 

About  one-half  of  the  sunlight  entering  a  room  is  admitted 
through  the  upper  third  of  the  window.  Rooms  such  as  are 
found  on  the  second  floor  of  the  Pierce  Grammar  School,  where 
the  main  windows  are  less  than  six  feet  high,  instead  of  the  stand- 
ard eight  feet,  with  a  semicircular  window  above,  not  only 
furnish  an  insufficient  gross  glass  area  but  cut  off  the  upper 
corners  and  obstruct  light  by  added  frames  at  the  top  of  the 
room  where  light  is  most  important.  Where  these  semicircles 
are  permanently  covered  with  shades  which  cannot  be  raised 
or  lowered  the  reduction  of  effective  light  is  still  more  serious. 
Rounded  windows,  green  shades  fixed  at  the  top,  masonry  piers 
and  vines  outside  combine  with  near-by  trees,  hills,  and  build- 
ings to  cut  off  light  from  rooms  which  are  already  dark  because 
of  insufficient  glass  area.  Even  in  her  newest  buildings  Brookline 
does  not  reach  the  best  standards  for  fighting  and  most  of  her  old 
buildings  are  seriously  deficient.  As  may  be  seen  by  the  ac- 
companying diagram,  of  the  elementary  classrooms  where  glass 
area  and  floor  area  were  compared  three-fourths  are  distinctly 
below  standard,  and  one-half  so  low  as  to  render  their  continued 
use  seriously  open  to  question. 


School  Buildings  and  Equipment 


93 


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94  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

Front  Lighting. 

There  are  several  cases  of  front  lighting  in  the  Brookline 
schools.  At  the  Newton  Street  windows  are  on  all  four  sides. 
Two  rooms  in  the  Sewall  School  are  so  arranged  that  windows 
are  at  the  left  and  front.  This  arrangement  has  been  made 
because  of  a  belief  on  the  part  of  the  school  authorities  that  light . 
must  always  fall  over  the  left  shoulder,  and  that  it  is  better  for 
windows  to  be  directly  in  front  than  for  light  to  be  admitted  from 
the  right.  From  this  view  the  members  of  the  Survey  Staff 
must  strongly  differ.  It  is  true  that  when  people  are  writing 
light  should  fall  over  the  left  shoulder  in  order  that  a  shadow 
may  not  be  cast  upon  the  page;  but  the  strain  incident  to  the 
use  of  pen  and  paper  with  hght  from  the  right  is  far  less  injurious 
and  far  less  constant  than  the  strain  caused  by  the  glare  of  sun- 
light pouring  directly  into  the  eyes  of  children  during  the  entire 
working  day.  If  the  two  rooms  in  the  Sewall  building  are  to  be 
continued  in  use  the  seats  should  be  turned  so  that  windows 
will  be  at  the  right  and  rear  of  the  children. 

Another  form  of  front  lighting  which  causes  undesirable  Qye- 
strain  is  found  in  the  Runkle  and  Lawrence  Schools.  In  each 
of  these  schools  a  class  is  held  in  one  end  of  the  assembly  room. 
Screens  or  folding  doors  cut  off  most  of  the  light  from  windows 
at  the  other  end  of  the  hall,  but  space  is  usually  left  through  which 
front  glare  is  able  to  penetrate.  More  careful  attention  should 
be  paid  to  drawing  shades  and  adjusting  screens  or  doors  in  order 
to  remove  this  source  of  strain. 

Windows  Too  Near  Front. 

A  common  error  in  schoolhouse  construction  which  is  very 
hard  to  avoid  is  the  placing  of  windows  along  the  side  of  the 
room  too  near  the  front  blackboard.  The  modern  school  architect 
aims  (although  he  does  not  always  succeed)  to  group  his  windows 
close  together  and  well  away  from  the  front  of  the  room  The 
reason  is  that  windows  on  the  side  wall  near  the  front  may  some- 
times furnish  almost  as  harmful  a  glare  for  the  children's  eyes 
as  though  the  window  were  actually  in  the  front  wall.     In  addi- 


School  Buildings  and  Equipment 


95 


tion  such  windows  usually  cast  light  on  the  front  blackboard 
in  such  a  way  that  writing  is  obscured  or  confused.  The  present 
tendency  is  to  leave  a  blank  wall  space  for  at  least  nine  feet 
from  the  front  of  the  room,  and  to  bring  the  rows  of  desks  forward 
so  that  windows  and  desks  shall  be  on  the  same  hne.  Ideally 
there  should  be  no  glass  area  extending  beyond  the  front  row  of 
children.  Actually  almost  every  classroom  in  Brookline  breaks 
this  rule.  A  projection  of  one  or  two  feet  is  in  fact  avoided 
only  by  the  most  skillful  planning,  but  in  several  cases  the  situa- 
tion is  more  serious.  Measurements  were  taken  for  26  class- 
rooms as  is  shown  in  the  following  table: 


Distance  which  Windows   in  Side  Wall   Project  Beyond 
Front  Desks  in  Twenty-Six  Brookline  Classrooms. 


Classroom 
Devotion  primary 
Cabot 

Runkle  primary 
Lincoln  grammar 
Lawrence 
Longwood 
Pierce  primary 
Pierce  grammar 
Devotion  grammar 
Heath 

Pierce  primary 
Pierce  primary 
Devotion  primary 
Pierce  primary 
Devotion  grammar 
Lincoln  grammar 
Pierce  primary 
Pierce  grammar 
Driscoll 
Driscoll 

Pierce  grammar 
Pierce  grammar 
Devotion  primary 
Cabot 
Sewall 
Sewall 


Front 
Desk 
to  Wall 
8.0  feet 
10.0  feet 
8.0  feet 
8.0  feet 
10.0  feet 
11.0  feet 
11.0  feet 
10.0  feet 
11.0  feet 
12.5  feet 
11.0  feet 

10.5  feet 

10.6  feet 
11.0  feet 
10 . 5  feet 
10.0  feet 
12.0  feet 
11.0  feet 
12.0  feet 
13.0  feet 

12.7  feet 
11.7  feet 
13.0  feet 
14 . 5  feet 
14.5  feet 
17.5  feet 


Front 
Window 
to  Wall 
6.5  feet 
8.0  feet 
5.8  feet 
5 . 5  feet 
7.0  feet 
8.0  feet 
5.8  feet 

4.7  feet 
5.0  feet 
6.0  feet 
4.0  feet 

3.4  feet 
3.0  feet 
3.0  feet 
2.3  feet 

1.5  feet 
3.5  feet 

1.8  feet 
2.0  feet 
2.0  feet 
1.5  feet 

.5  feet 
3  feet 
5  feet 
2  feet 


1 
1 
1 
1.2  feet 


Projection 

of  Window 

Beyond  Desk 

1.5  feet 

2.0  feet 

2.2  feet 

2.5  feet 
3.0  feet 
3.0  feet 
5.2  feet 

.  3  feet 
.0  feet 
.  5  feet 
.Ofeet 
.  1  feet 

7.6  feet 
8.0  feet 
8.2  feet 
8.5  feet 
8.5  feet 
9.2  feet 

10.0  feet 
11.0  feet 
11.2  feet 

11.2  feet 
11.7  feet 
13.0  feet 

13.3  feet 
16.3  feet 


It  is  difficult  to  suggest  any  satisfactory  remedy  for  the 
poor    fighting    conditions    here    indicated.     In    most    cases    the 


96  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

window  area  of  the  room  is  not  sufficient  to  justify  covering  win- 
dows near  the  front  with  dark  shades.  Light-colored  adjustable 
shades  will  give  some  relief.  In  primary  rooms  desks  are  often 
placed  well  to  the  rear  in  order  to  leave  a  cleared  play  space  at 
the  front.  One  of  the  most  obvious  methods  of  lessening  eye- 
strain from  windows  near  the  front  wall  would-  be  to  move  all 
classroom  furniture  as  near  the  front  as  it  conveniently  can  be 
placed,  leaving  the  clear  floor  area  at  the  rear  of  the  room.  This 
report  suggests  that  in  existing  classrooms  furniture  be  rearranged 
so  that  the  first  row  of  desks  shall  be  not  more  than  eight  feet 
from  the  front  wall;  and  that  in  planning  new  buildings  for  the 
future  architects  be  requested  to  group  windows  close  together 
and  as  far  towards  the  rear  of  the  room  as  is  possible  while  still 
securing  the  necessary  glass  area. 

Unilateral  Lighting. 

It  is  over  20  years  since  unilateral  lighting  was  first  accepted 
as  a  standard  in  schoolhouse  construction.  So  universally  has 
it  become  an  accepted  theory  that  cross  lights  in  the  classroom 
are  injurious  to  the  eyes  that  there  is  practically  no  discussion 
of  the  question  in  current  educational  writings  other  than  text- 
books. Brookline  has  accepted  the  theory,  but  does  not  practice 
it  in  the  case  of  some  classrooms  in  the  newer  buildings.  In 
the  Heath,  DriscoU,  and  Devotion  Grammar  Schools  for  example, 
there  are  several  classrooms  in  which  light  comes  from  the  left 
only,  and  each  of  the  new  rooms  added  to  the  old  primary  build- 
ing of  the  Pierce  School  has  unilateral  lighting,  but  in  the  case 
of  the  three  other  buildings  just  mentioned,  although  they  are 
the  three  elementary  buildings  most  recently  erected  (one  of 
them  not  yet  three  years  old),  the  unilateral  principle  is  adhered 
to  only  in  certain  rooms,  while  in  others  light  is  admitted  in  the 
old-fashioned  way.  There  is  not  a  public  school  in  Brookline 
which  is  hghted  throughout  on  the  modern  principle. 

Direct  Sunlight. 

A  fact  of  which  BrookUne  may  well  be  proud  is  that  she 
has  no  sunless  classroom.     All  rooms  in  which  children  study 


School  Buildings  and  Equipment  97 

are  so  placed  that  some  time  during  the  day  they  receive  the  direct 
rays  of  the  sun.  The  sun  is  one  of  the  most  effective  germicidal 
agents  known,  and  exposing  a  room  to  the  sun's  rays  is  an  effective 
means  of  preventing  epidemics,  such  as  colds  and  other  diseases, 
which  are  spread  through  nasal  discharge. 

It  is  necessary,  however,  while  planning  rooms  so  that  they 
will  receive  sunhght  during  some  portion  of  the  day,  to  see  to 
it  that  direct  sunlight  does  not  enter  during  hours  when  children 
are  seated  at  their  desks.  Direct  rays  produce  a  glare  which 
causes  eyestrain.  The  discomfort  of  trying  to  work  under  the 
direct  rays  of  the  sun  is  so  great  that  most  teachers  at  once  pull 
down  the  curtains  of  the  windows  on  the  sunny  side.  As  most 
of  these  curtains  in  the  Brookhne  schools  are  of  sage  green  the 
room  is  at  once  seriously  darkened. 

If  all  classroom  windows  faced  towards  the  west  children 
would  be  able  to  work  in  the  morning  in  a  clear  light  without 
sunhght  and  yet  the  entire  room  could  be  thrown  open  to  the 
direct  rays  of  the  sun  during  the  long  afternoon.  In  Brookline 
most  of  the  buildings  are  set  at  an  angle,  with  the  corners  of  the 
building  pointing  toward  the  four  points  of  the  compass.  In 
a  few  cases  such  as  Lincoln  Grammar  School,  all  classrooms  face 
towards  the  south;  but  in  most  of  the  buildings  the  southeast. 
In  100  classrooms  examined  in  Brookhne  76,  or  over  three-fourths, 
are  exposed  to  the  heat  and  glare  of  direct  sunlight  during  the 
entire  morning  session. 

Shades. 

With  insufficient  glass  area  and  direct  sunhght  during  a 
large  part  of  the  morning  session,  the  question  of  window  shades 
assumes  large  importance.  Most  of  the  shades  now  in  use  in 
the  Brookline  schools  are  a  light  sage  green  color.  In  about 
two-thirds  of  the  cases  they  are  fixed  at  the  top,  and  in  about 
one-third  of  the  cases  they  are  of  the  adjustable  type  so  that 
they  can  be  raised  or  lowered  to  cover  any  portion  of  the  window 
desired.  In  a  few  cases,  as  in  the  Cabot  School,  the  shades 
roll  from  top  and  bottom  of  the  window  and  meet  at  the  center. 
At   the   Devotion   grammar,  where   windows  swing   on   pivots, 


98  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

two  shades  at  each  window  unroll  from  the  center  towards  the 
top  and  bottom. 

If  light  is  to  be  allowed  to  enter,  while  at  the  same  time 
direct  sunbeams  are  shut  out,  window  shades  must  be  of  ecru 
or  some  other  light  color  which  will  not  darken  the  room.  In 
the  second  place  they  must  be  adjustable  so  that  it  will  not  be 
necessary  to  cover  the  entire  window  in  order  to  cut  off  a  small 
area  of  direct  sunlight.  Shades  fixed  at  top  and  bottom  and 
made  to  draw  towards  each  other  are  better  than  a  single 
shade,  but  not  so  satisfactory  as  the  regular  adjustable  shades 
already  in  use  in  many  schools  in  Brookline. 

In  the  third  place  teachers  must  be  taught  to  adjust  the 
adjustable  shade.  On  one  sunny  morning  when  schools  were  in 
session  a  mernber  of  the  Survey  Staff  noted  ten  classrooms  equipped 
with  adjustable  shades.  In  nine  the  shades  were  drawn  from  the 
top  of  the  window  in  the  usual  way,  while  in  only  one  case  they 
were  adjusted  to  keep  out  the  sunlight  and  yet  leave  the  rest  of 
the  window  covered. 


Summary  and  Recommendations  for  Elementary  Schools. 

1.  The  window  glass  area  in  any  classroom  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  United  States  should  equal  from  one-fifth  to  one- 
fourth  the  fioor  area.  In  Brookline  three-fourths  of  the  rooms 
show  an  insufficient  glass  area  and  one-half  are  seriously  below 
standard. 

2.  In  two  rooms  at  the  Sewall  School  windows  are  at  the  front 
instead  of  the  rear  of  the  children.  The  seats  in  these  rooms  should 
be  turned,  so  as  to  face  in  the  opposite  direction.  Greater  care 
should  be  taken  to  avoid  front  glare  in  the  assembly  hall  classes 
of  the  Runkle  and  Lawrence  Schools. 

3.  In  most  of  the  Brookhne  classrooms  front  glare  is  admitted 
by  windows  on  the  side  wall  which  extend  beyond  the  front  seats. 
It  is  urged  that  furniture  be  moved  forward  so  that  the  front 
row  of  desks  shall  be  not  more  than  eight  feet  from  the  front  wall, 
and  whatever  clear  space  is  left  shall  be  at  the  rear  of  the  room 
instead  of  at  the  front. 


School  Buildings  and  Equipment  99 

4.  Even  when  the  newest  buildings  are  included  there  is 
not  a  pubhc  school  in  Brookline  which  is  lighted  throughout  on 
the  unilateral  plan.  In  erecting  new  buildings  the  unilateral 
principle  should  be  rigidly  adhered  to. 

5.  Of  100  classrooms  examined  in  Brookline,  76  are  exposed 
to  direct  sunhght  during  the  morning  hours.  Because  teachers 
draw  the  shades  to  exclude  glare  these  classrooms  are  frequently- 
made  too  dark.  In  erecting  new  buildings,  especially  if  the 
one  session  plan  is  continued,  effort  should  be  made  to  turn  as 
many  classrooms  as  possible  towards  the  west,  so  that  they 
may  receive  direct  sunUght  when  classes  are  not  in  session. 

6.  Light-colored  adjustable  shades  should  be  placed  in  all 
classrooms  and  teachers  should  be  taught  how  to  use  them. 
This  recommendation  is  especially  important  for  the  76  classrooms 
which  receive  direct  sunhght  during  the  morning  session. 

Blackboards. 
When  a  child  stands  in  front  of  a  blackboard  he  should 
find  a  clear  writing  space  extending  for  several  inches  below 
the  level  of  his  eyes.  It  should  not  be  necessary  for  him  to  reach 
above  his  head  in  order  to  place  his  arithmetic  example  upon  the 
board.  Moreover,  care  must  be  taken  not  to  make  the  boards 
so  wide  that  they  cover  large  portions  of  the  wall  space.  If  they 
are  black  or  dark  green  they  absorb  large  quantities  of  fight. 
It  is  desirable,  therefore,  that  while  there  should  be  plenty  of 
space  below  the  level  of  the  child's  eyes  there  should  be  only 
blackboard  space  enough  above  his  head  to  give  room  for  a  few 
fines  of  writing  by  teacher.  With  these  two  elements  in  mind  — 
the  necessity  for  making  boards  low  enough  to  write  on,  and  for 
keeping  them  sufficiently  narrow  so  that  they  will  not  absorb 
too  much  fight  —  the  following  standards  have  been  worked 
out  and  widely  adopted  for  classroom  purposes: 


Grade 

Distance  from  Floor 

Width  of  Board 

1  and  2 

24  inches 

28  inches 

3  and  4 

27  inches 

30  inches 

5  and  6 

30  inches 

32  inches 

Upper  grammar 

32  inches 

36  inches 

High  schools 

36  inches 

40  inches 

100         School  Survey  of  Brookline 

Blackboard  Heights. 

Practically  all  the  blackboards  in  Brookline  are  placed  too 
high  for  the  children's  use.  Measurements  were  taken  of  13 
rooms  occupied  by  first,  second,  or  third  grade;  the  results  are 
as  follows: 

27  inches  from  the  floor 3  cases 

28  inches  from  the  floor 2  cases 

30  inches  from  the  floor 5  cases 

32  inches  from  the  floor 1  case 

33  inches  from  the  floor 2 


In  12  grammar  grades  the  corresponding  measurements 
were  as  follows : 

30  inches  from  the  floor 1  case 

32  inches  from  the  floor 1  case 

33  inches  from  the  floor 1  case 

34  inches  from  the  floor 3  cases 

36  inches  from  the  floor 4  cases 

39  inches  from  the  floor 1  case 

40  inches  from  the  floor 1  case 

That  is,  four-fifths  of  all  the  classrooms  studied  have  black- 
boards placed  too  high  for  the  children's  use.  For  all  buildings 
which  are  to  be  retained  in  service  blackboards  should  be  lowered 
at  once. 

Blackboard  Widths. 

According  to  the  generally  accepted  standard,  no  primary 
school  blackboard  should  be  over  30  inches  wide  and  no  grammar 
school  blackboard  should  be  over  a  yard  wide.  In  every  ele- 
mentary school  where  blackboards  were  measured  they  were 
wider  than  40  inches  —  the  standard  for  high  schools.  Boards 
ranged  from  42  inches  to  eight  and  a  half  feet,  while  the 
medium  or  half-way  measure  fell  at  48  inches.  When  this  ex- 
cessive width  of  fight-absorbing  blackboard  is  thought  of  in  con- 
nection with  the  inadequate  glass  area  of  the  windows  it  becomes 
a  serious  problem.  There  are  two  ways  of  deafing  with  it  without 
removing  the  boards :  One  is  to  attach  shades  on  rollers  similar 


School  Buildings  and  Equipment  101 

to  window  shades  above  all  the  blackboards  and  have  it  a  fixed 
rule  that  these  shades  shall  be  pulled  down  when  boards  are 
not  in  use.  Another  method  would  be  permanently  to  cover 
the  upper  portion  of  the  blackboard  with  some  light-colored 
material  of  the  same  tint  as  the  schoolroom  walls.  Plaster 
boards  should  be  removed  instead  of  covered. 

Most  of  the  old  schools  are  equipped  with  blackboards  of 
plaster  upon  wooden  lath  or  brick.  In  the  newer  schools  black- 
boards are  of  slate.  Slate  is  so  much  more  satisfactory  for  school- 
room use  than  plaster  blackboards  that  it  should  be  used  not  only 
for  new  buildings  but  also  to  replace  plaster  blackboards  in  the 
old  buildings.  The  Cabot,  Sewall  and  Lincoln  primary  buildings 
are  especially  in  need  of  such  replacement.  At  the  Lincoln 
primary  the  plaster  blackboard  has  been  placed  upon  a  brick 
foundation  in  front  of  the  chimney.  In  spite  of  refinishings  this 
blackboard  becomes  cracked  and  chipped;  and  it  is  practically 
impossible  to  keep  it  in  repair.  Every  building  which  is  to  be 
continued  in  use  should  be  equipped  with  good-quality  slate 
boards  properly  placed. 

Summary  and  Recommendations. 

1.  Four-fifths  of  all  the  blackboards  measured  in  the  Brook- 
line  elementary  schools  are  placed  so  high  on  the  walls  that 
pupils  cannot  conveniently  use  them. 

2.  All  of  them  are  wider  than  the  standard  for  high  school 
classes. 

3.  Blackboards  in  most  of  the  old  buildings  are  of  plaster 
on  brick  or  wooden  lath. 

It  is  strongly  urged  that  in  every  building  which  is  to  be 
continued  in  use,  (a)  slate  boards  which  are  too  high  be  lowered; 
(6)  the  upper  portion  of  slate  boards  which  are  too  wide  be 
covered  with  hght-colored  shades;  and  (c)  all  plaster  boards  be 
replaced  by  new  ones  of  good-quality  slate. 

Visitors  from  European  countries  remark  upon  the  constant 
use  which  our  teachers  make  of  the  wall  blackboard.  Hardly 
an  exercise  is  conducted  in  which  the  blackboard  does  not  play 
a  part.     If  Brookhne  expects  her  teachers  to  do  good  work  she 


102  School  Purvey  of  Brookline 

should  certainl}^  provide  them  with  tools  of  the  best  quality; 
and  among  these  modern  blackboards  hold  an  important  place. 

Seating. 

For  many  years  BrookHne  has  been  committed  to  the  policy 
of  providing  adjustable  furniture  for  classrooms.  The  carrying 
out  of  this  policy,  however,  has  not  been  uniform.  At  the  present 
time  about  two-thirds  of  the  chairs  used  in  the  Brookline  schools 
are  adjustable  and  one-third  are  not  adjustable.  At  such  build- 
ings as  the  Driscoll,  Runkle,  Devotion,  and  Heath  a  good  showing 
is  made,  but  on  the  other  hand  certain  rooms  in  the  Pierce,  Lin- 
coln, Cabot,  Sewall,  Parsons,  and  Lawrence  Schools  show  a 
surprisingly  large  number  of  old-fashioned  non-adjustable  seats. 
Furniture  has  been  fastened  to  the  floor  with  care. 

It  is  a  standard  requirement  that  the  front  edge  of  the  desk 
should  overlap  the  front  edge  of  the  seat  by  about  one  and  one 
half  inches.  If  the  overlapping  is  much  greater  than  this  the 
child  is  crowded  too  close  to  the  desk.  If  it  is  much  less  the 
desk  is  too  far  removed  and  the  child  is  forced  to  lean  forward. 
In  Brookline  with  very  encouraging  uniformity  this  slight  over- 
lapping of  chair  and  desk  was  found  in  practically  all  schools. 

Some  of  the  children  of  the  Runkle  School  are  now  provided 
with  chairs  and  desks  which  have  been  designed  especially  for 
use  in  Brookline.  In  the  opinion  of  the  Survey  visitor  this  furni- 
ture is  admirably  adapted  to  present  schoolroom  activities. 
Perhaps  its  most  striking  feature  from  the  point  of  view  of  school 
administration  is  that  both  chair  and  desk  can  be  raised  or  lowered 
rapidly  and  without  effort  while  the  child  is  actually  seated  at 
his  place.  The  services  of  a  janitor  are  not  needed  for  this  process 
of  adjustment.  The  work  can  be  done  by  the  teacher  with  the 
aid  of  an  older  boy  in  a  remarkably  brief  time  and  with  satis- 
factory results.  Moreover,  the  adjustable  parts  are  so  arranged 
that  they  can  be  locked  in  place. 

This  mechanical  feature  of  the  chairs  and  desks  now  used 
by  some  of  the  Runkle  children  is  of  very  real  practical  importance. 
At  present  the  Brookline  janitors  are  expected  to  do  all  the  work 
of  adjusting  seats  and  desks  at  the  beginning  of  the  fall  term. 


School  Buildings  and  Equipment  103 

In  a  large  school  this  may  become  a  tedious  task.  It  is  no  easy 
matter  for  a  large  man  to  work  over  the  screws  and  bolts  of  the 
forty  tiny  chairs  and  forty  tiny  desks  of  a  primary  schoolroom. 
When  he  faces  the  prospect  of  adjusting  all  the  furniture  in  the 
building  within  a  few  weeks  at  the  beginning  of  the  fall  term  he 
may  be  excused  for  looking  forward  to  the  prospect  with  con- 
siderable dread.  Furniture  that  can  be  adjusted  without  the 
aid  of  a  janitor  would  greatly  simplify  the  task  of  starting  classes 
in  the  fall  term. 

One  class  in  the  Runkle  and  one  class  in  the  Sewall  School 
have  adopted  an  interesting  seating  arrangement.  Seats  and 
chairs  are  placed  one  behind  the  other  in  straight  rows,  but 
each  set  is  turned  on  its  base  so  that  children  can  face  squarely 
toward  the  teacher  without  turning  in  their  chairs.  Desks  in 
the  center  rows  are  usually  parallel  with  the  front  blackboard 
but  those  on  the  side  are  turned  slightly  in.  The  teachers  of 
both  classes  where  furniture  is  arranged  in  this  way  strongly 
prefer  it  to  the  usual  method.  In  earlier  sections  this  Survey 
has  already  recommended  many  changes  in  the  placing  of  school 
furniture.  It  has  suggested  that  front  sunlight  be  avoided  by 
turning  chairs  around  to  face  the  other  direction;  that  in  places 
where  side  windows  are  too  near  the  front  wall  all  chairs  be 
moved  forward  in  order  to  cut  off  as  much  as  may  be  of  the  front 
glare.  It  has  also  urged  the  necessity  of  replacing  old-fashioned 
non-adjustable  furniture  with  chairs  and  desks  of  the  modern 
type.  If  these  suggestions  are  carried  out  it  would  be  well  worth 
while  to  give  teachers  in  the  rooms  where  changes  are  being 
made  an  opportunity  to  visit  the  two  classes  at  Runkle  and 
Sewall  Schools,  and  where  teachers  are  in  favor  to  experiment 
in  these  classrooms  by  replacing  the  furniture  on  the  angle  rather 
than  the  parallel  plan. 

Summary  and  Recommendations. 

1.  About  one-third  of  the  seats  and  desks  in  Brookhne 
elementary  schools  are  of  the  old-fashioned  non-adjustable  type. 
Where  chairs  are  adjustable  a  considerable  period  elapses  at  the 


104  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

beginning  of  the  fall  term  before  janitors  find  time  to  make  all 
the  adjustments  necessary. 

The  important  thing  about  chairs  and  desks  is  that  they  be 
adapted  to  the  needs  of  children  who  sit  in  them.  If  they  are 
adjustable  a  sufficient  variety  of  sizes  should  be  introduced  into 
every  classroom  so  that  short  children  may  be  seated  in  low 
chairs  and  tall  children  in  high  ones.  Theoretically  Brookhne 
believes  in  this  principle.     In  practice  she  ought  to  follow  it. 

2.  Care  has  evidently  been  exercised  in  securing  the  correct 
amount  of  overlapping  between  chair  and  desk. 

3.  The  furniture  now  used  in  certain  of  the  Runkle  class- 
rooms is  of  an  excellent  type.  If  the  expense  is  not  prohibitive 
it  would  be  desirable  to  secure  more  furniture  of  this  type  to 
replace  the  old-type  furniture  now  in  use. 

4.  Two  Brookline  classes  have  adopted  a  seating  plan  whereby 
every  child  may  face  squarely  toward  the  teacher  without  turning 
on  his  chair.  It  is  suggested  that  where  seating  changes  are 
made  other  teachers  be  given  the  opportunity  to  try  out  this 
method  with  their  own  classes. 

Toilets. 
Ziocaiion. 

In  all  the  elementary  school  buildings  except  the  Sewall  and 
the  Newton  Street  toilet  rooms  are  situated  in  the  basement. 
The  room  for  boys  is  usually  at  one  end  of  the  building  and  the 
room  for  girls  at  the  other,  and  in  most  cases  these  rooms  are 
reached  by  separate  stairways  from  the  floors  above. 

Labels. 

In  23  out  of  the  26  cases  noted  in  elementary  schools  the  only 
way  of  determining  for  which  sex  the  room  was  intended  was 
by  opening  the  door  and  examining  the  fixtures  within.  The 
absence  of  labels  does  not  cause  difficulties  for  children  who 
have  long  been  in  the  school,  but  in  the  case  of  new  children  or 
visitors  serious  embarrassment  may  result  through  entering  the 
wrong  toilet  room.  Since  this  matter  of  labehng  is  inexpensive 
and  easily  attended  to  it  is  here  recommended  that  signs  clearly 


School  Buildings  and  Equipment  105 

indicating  for  which  sex  the  toilets  are  intended  be  attached  to 
the  outer  doors  of  all  toilet  rooms  at  an  early  date. 

Lighting  of  Toilets. 

As  would  be  expected  in  a  system  where  most  of  the  build- 
ings are  old,  toilet  rooms  are  generally  poorly  lighted.  Where 
basements  are  well  below  the  ground  level  and  windows  are  small 
and  few  it  is  almost  impossible  to  secure  a  satisfactory  amount 
of  hght  and  sunshine  within  the  toilet  room.  In  six  cases  most 
of  the  Hght  comes  from  the  north  so  that  sunshine  never  enters. 
A  favorite  building  plan  in  the  past  has  been  to  make  the  toilet 
room  long  and  narrow  with  a  window  at  one  end.  The  boys' 
toilet  in  the  Devotion  Primary  School  is  lighted  by  one  small 
window.  In  the  Lincoln  annex  in  the  boys'  toilet  there  are  two 
narrow  windows  which  become  banked  with  snow  m  the  winter 
and  leave  the  room  very  dark.  In  the  girls'  toilet  in  the  Long- 
wood  School  there  is  one  window  which  is  three-quarters  beneath 
ground  and  of  little  use  for  hghting  purposes.  The  boys'  toilet 
in  the  Runkle  Grammar  School  is  so  long  and  narrow  that  it 
cannot  be  successfully  illuminated  by  outside  light.  Similar 
conditions  will  be  found  in  several  of  the  other  buildings.  In 
most  cases  where  the  toilet  rooms  are  long  and  narrow  lighting 
is  greatly  interfered  with  by  the  common  habit  of  placing  fixtures 
down  the  center  in  such  a  way  that  those  nearest  the  windows 
cut  off  hght  from  all  of  those  beyond. 

Ventilation. 

The  commonest  plan  for  ventilating  toilets  in  the  Brookline 
schools  is  the  foul  air  flue,  which  leads  directly  from  the  toilet 
room  into  the  outer  air.  The  theory  is  that  since  toilet  rooms 
are  usually  heated  warm  air  will  rise  through  the  flue  and  carry 
odors  with  it ;  while  cool  air  will  come  through  doors  and  windows 
to  take  its  place.  In  some  cases  a  hot  air,  water,  or  steam  pipe 
has  been  passed  through  this  flue  in  an  effort  to  stimulate  the 
circulation  of  air.  In  the  Devotion  School  toilet  rooms  are  con- 
nected with  the  regular  heating  and  ventilating  apparatus.  For 
most  of  the  other  buildings,  however,  they  present  a  separate 
problem. 


106  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

In  each  visit  to  a  school  building  the  janitor  was  asked  to 
show  the  Surveyor  how  the  toilet  room  was  ventilated.  In  almost 
every  case  he  was  unable  to  tell  until  he  had  himself  investigated 
in  order  to  see  whether  there  was  a  flue  connecting  with  the 
room.  In  one  or  two  cases,  however,  the  janitor  was  well  aware 
of  existing  conditions;  for  example,  at  the  Cabot  School  the  jani- 
tor reported  that  on  winter  nights  he  was  obliged  to  close  the 
cold  air  flue  connecting  with  the  boys'  toilet,  because  if  he  did 
not  the  pipes  would  freeze.  Instead  of  carrying  air  out  from  the 
building  the  foul  air  flue  admits  cold  air  to  the  basement. 

That  the  air  in  toilet  rooms  is  not  more  impure  than  it  is 
is  due  to  two  factors:  first,  the  janitors  as  a  group  are  constantly 
on  the  alert  to  detect  odor  and  remove  its  source  where  possible, 
and  second,  the  children  of  Brookhne  apparently  have  been 
carefully  trained  in  the  use  of  toilet  facilities.  One  of  the  chief 
sources  of  disagreeable  odors  in  toilet  rooms  is  the  chemical 
action  of  uric  acid  upon  concrete  or  cement  floors.  Most  of 
the  floors  in  Brookline  are  of  this  type,  but  it  is  noticeable  to  the 
visitor  from  outside  that  there  is  comparatively  little  discolora- 
tion. Were  children  careless  in  this  matter  serious  conditions 
might  easily  be  established  which  would  be  very  difficult  to 
remedy.  Even  as  it  is  in  some  of  the  older  buildings  such  as  the 
Lincoln,  Longwood,  Sewall,  and  Parsons  Schools  unpleasant  odors 
are  distinctly  noticeable,  although  in  at  least  the  first  two  build- 
ings deodorants  are  regularly  in  use. 

Toilet  Room  Floors, 

As  has  already  been  stated,  it  is  a  commonly  accepted  principle 
that  toilet  floors  should  not  be  made  of  concrete  or  cement  because 
of  the  unpleasant  odor  which  speedily  arises  from  uric*  acid  when 
it  comes  in  combination  with  this  material.  Probably  the  best 
material  for  toilet  room  floors  is  asphalt.  In  one  or  two  cases 
this  has  been  used  in  Brookline.  Not  only  is  asphalt  desirable 
because  of  its  cleanliness  but  it  is  also  impervious  to  moisture. 
Where  cellars  are  well  below  the  ground  in  old  buildings  the 
floors  are  usually  damp.  For  example,  we  find  in  Brookhne 
that  all  through  the  basement  of  the  Lincoln  annex  plaster  falls 


School  Buildings  and  Equipment  107 

from  the  walls  and  ceilings;  the  floors  are  always  damp,  there 
is  a  bad  odor,  and  deodorants  must  be  used.  In  the  Longwood 
School  the  floors  of  the  girls'  toilet  are  always  damp  and  odors 
may  be  detected  in  the  upper  rooms.  In  the  Parsons  School 
the  floor  is  always  damp ;  and  at  the  Heath  and  Lawrence,  although 
the  toilet  rooms  are  in  better  condition,  the  floors  of  the  store- 
rooms are  seriously  damp  much  of  the  time. 

Equipment. 

From  the  point  of  view  of  number  of  seats  and  urinals  per 
child  enrolled,  Brookhne  is  more  generous  than  are  most  com- 
munities. Using  the  figures  for  October,  1915,  published  in  the 
latest  Superintendent's  report,  there  is  one  urinal  for  every  13 
boys,  one  seat  for  every  16  boys  and  one  seat  for  every  11  girls. 
This  is  a  remarkably  generous  showing.  It  is  usually  held  that 
if  there  is  a  supply  of  one  urinal  for  every  25  boys,  one  seat  for 
every  20  boys,  and  one  seat  for  every  12  girls,  schools  so  equipped 
may  be  rated  as  excellent  upon  this  point.  Brookline  schools 
make  an  even  better  showing  than  the  standard  here  cited. 

The  type  of  toilet  equipment  provided,  however,  is  not  so 
satisfactory.  With  the  exception  of  the  Devotion  School,  where 
both  porcelain  and  slate  are  used,  urinals  are  made  of  slate  and 
are  usually  flushed  by  a  pierced  iron  pipe  through  which  water 
is  sprayed  upon  the  surface  below.  These  sprays  vary  in  effective- 
ness. At  the  Lincoln  School  in  certain  of  the  toilet  rooms  the 
spray  cannot  be  turned  on  at  full  force  because  it  splashes. 
In  the  Cabot  School  the  holes  have  become  filled  with  rust  so 
that  the  spraying  is  interfered  with.  Slate  is  a  durable  and 
impervious  material  for  urinals  and  is  certainly  much  better 
than  the  painted  iron  so  frequently  found  in  other  school  systems. 
The  pierced  pipe,  however,  is  a  very  unsatisfactory  method  of 
water  flushing.  In  most  schools  where  it  is  now  used  it  should 
be  replaced  by  an  overflow  pipe  or  some  other  flushing  device 
which  will  provide  a  constant  and  equal  distribution  of  water 
over  the  entire  urinal  surface. 

The  closets  in  the  Brookline  schools  are  in  wooden  stalls 
with  individual  doors.     Usually  each  has  a  separate  flush  ar- 


108  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

rangement.  In  most  cases  the  flushing  mechanism  is  operated 
by  hand,  but  in  a  few  schools,  where  very  young  or  poor  children 
attend,  the  chain  is  attached  to  the  door,  so  that  opening  the 
door  automatically  flushes  the  toilet.  Seats  are  usually  of  wood 
with  closed  fronts.  The  closets  are  noticeably  free  from  defacing 
writing  or  drawing.-  Wood  is  an  undesirable  material  for  closet 
partitions  and  seats,  since  it  readily  absorbs  moisture  and  holds 
dirt,  and  is  not  particularly  easy  to  clean. 

In  general  it  may  be  said  that  Brookline  provides  a  bountiful 
supply  of  not  very  good  toilets,  badly  housed.  The  individual 
flush  and  separate  doors  are  features  frequently  omitted  in  other 
school  systems  and  are  deserving  of  commendation.  It  is  also 
worth  noting  that  all  toilets  are  supplied  with  toilet  paper. 

Washing  Facilities. 

Not  enough  care  has  been  given  to  facilities  for  washing 
the  hands  after  leaving  the  toilet.  Out  of  31  toilet  rooms  ex- 
amined, 16,  or  about  half,  provide  water,  paper  towels  and  soap, 
and  therefore  encourage  children  to  wash  their  hands  regularly 
after  using  the  toilet.  In  eight  cases  water  is  available  but  is 
not  used  for  washing  purposes,  and  towels  and  soap  are  not  pro- 
vided.    In  seven  others  there  are  no  washing  facilities  of  any  kind. 

Newton  Street  School. 

Toilet  facilities  at  the  Newton  Street  School  are  distinctly 
bad,  and  if  the  school  is  to  continue  in  use  should  immediately 
be  changed.  There  are  two  closets,  one  for  boys  and  one  for 
girls.  Each  is  what  is  known  as  a  dry  closet,  that  is,  it  consists 
of  a  wooden  seat  with  a  wooden  cover  placed  over  a  hole  in  the 
ground.  There  is  a  sewer  directly  in  front  of  the  building  but 
no  connection  has  yet  been  made  with  the  toilet.  Shovels  of 
earth  thrown  into  the  pit  serve  to  eliminate  odors.  One  closet 
has  a  ventilating  hole  over  the  door  covered  with  a  wide  mesh 
screen.  This  screen  is  so  coarse,  however,  that  it  does  not  guard 
from  the  entrance  of  flies  or  mosquitoes.  In  the  other  toilet  there 
is  no  regular  form  of  ventilation.     To  go  to  the  toilet  at  the  Newton 


School  Buildings  and  Equipment  109 

Street  School  children  are  obliged  to  walk  outdoors  so  that  they 
are  exposed  to  the  wet  in  rainy  weather.  If  this  school  is  to  be 
retained  in  active  service  modern  toilets  flushed  with  water 
should  be  installed. 

Summary  and  Recommendation^. 

1.  Almost  none  of  the  toilets  in  the  elementary  schools  is 
labeled  to  show  for  which  sex  it  is  intended.  It  is  recommended 
that  such  signs  be  installed  at  once. 

2.  Most  of  the  toilet  rooms  are  dark  and  unpleasant.  This 
results  from  windows  opening  to  the  north,  too  small  glass  area, 
shrubs  or  snow  outside  the  window,  rooms  which  are  too  long 
and  narrow,  or  the  placing  of  equipment  so  that  it  cuts  off  the 
light  from  parts  of  the  room  beyond.  Some  of  these  conditions 
are  found  even  in  the  newest  buildings.  Little  can  be  done  to 
remedy  them;  but  care  should  be  taken  to  avoid  their  repetition. 

3.  The  fact  that  the  air  of  toilet  rooms  in  Brookline  is  not 
strikingly  unpleasant  is  due  not  to  care  in  construction  but 
rather  to  good  janitor  service  and  well-taught  children. 

4.  Most  of  the  floors  are  of  concrete.  They  should  be  made 
of  asphalt.  In  toilet  rooms  asphalt  resists  the  action  of  liric 
acid.  In  all  parts  of  the  basement  it  keeps  out  dampness.  Cer- 
tain schools  in  Brookline  continually  suffer  from  damp  basement 
floors. 

5.  Brookhne  provides  a  great  deal  of  fairly  poor  equipment, 
badly  placed  in  unpleasant  rooms. 

6.  In  about  half  of  the  Brookline  schools  children  are  re- 
quired to  leave  the  toilet  room  without  washing  their  hands. 
Hot  water  and  soap  in  every  toilet  room  is  an  effective  means  o  f 
preventing  the  spread  of  certain  very  dangerous  diseases.  Brook- 
line children  should  not  be  deprived  of  this  protection. 

7.  If  the  Newton  Street  School  is  to  be  continued  in  use 
it  should  be  provided  with  running  water,  and  with  a  modern 
water  flush  toilet,  connected  with  the  sewer,  and  properly  screened 
from  flies. 


110  School  Survey  OF  Erookline 

Special   Rooms. 
The  Janitor^ s  Room. 

The  janitor  does  not  fare  very  well  in  most  of  the  Brookline 
schools.  Only  in  the  newest  buildings  is  he  provided  with  com- 
fortable quarters  where  he  may ,  spend  those  hours  of  the  day 
when  he  is  not  actively  engaged  at  work  in  other  parts  of  the 
building.  In  old  buildings  all  that  is  actually  accorded  to  the 
janitor  is  a  private  toilet  with  sometimes  a  means  for  washing 
face  and  hands.  He  must  spend  his  day  in  basements  which 
are  ordinarily  dark,  ill-smelling,  and  depressing  in  atmosphere. 
The  janitor  has  probably  longer  hours  than  any  one  else  employed 
in  the  school  system.  He  is  expected  to  be  on  hand  all  day  long. 
His  work  is  such  that  there  are  many  periods  of  great  activity 
and  intervening  periods  of  comparative  idleness.  Moreover, 
where  systems  are  efficiently  conducted,  there  is  a  surprising 
amount  of  clerical  work,  such  as  the  checking  of  suppHes,  etc., 
which  must  be  taken  care  of  by  the  janitor. 

If  he  is  to  do  his  work  properly  he  should  be  provided  with 
a  private  office,  well  hghted,  comfortably  furnished,  with  tele- 
phonic communication  with  the  principal's  office.  There  should 
be  a  desk  at  which  he  may  work,  with  drawers  for  the  fifing  of 
official  documents.  There  should  be  at  least  one  really  com- 
fortable chair.  A  toilet  room  should  open  from  the  office,  and 
hot  and  cold  water  should  be  provided  in  abundance.  The 
basements  of  old  buildings  are  difficult  to  remodel,  but  by  using 
ingenuity  it  should  be  possible  at  comparatively  small  expense 
to  provide  an  office  for  the  janitor.  Money  and  thought  invested 
in  this  way  would  bring  notable  returns  in  the  shape  of  increased 
efficiency  on  the  part  of  the  janitorial  staff. 

Medical  Inspection  Room. 

The  Devotion  School  is  the  only  place  where  medical  inspec- 
tion has  been  taken  with  sufficient  seriousness  so  that  a  special 
room  has  been  set  apart  for  that  purpose.  The  dispensary  or, 
as  it  is  frequently  called,  the  nurse's  room  at  the  Devotion  School 
is  excellently  planned  and  equipped.     Medical  inspection  work 


School  Buildings  and  Equipment  111 

in  the  other  schools  is  carried  on  in  empty  corners.  At  the 
Heath  School  what  is  probably  a  fairly  satisfactory  arrangement 
has  been  secured  by  using  the  dressing  room  opening  off  the 
stage  in  the  auditorium  as  a  medical  inspection  room.  At  most 
of  the  other  buildings,  however,  quarters  are  distinctly  inferior. 
At  the  Pierce  Grammar  School  medical  inspection  is  carried 
on  in  the  school  Hbrary.  In  several  schools  the  teacher's  room 
is  used.  Sometimes  children  are  merely  called  out  into  the  hall. 
At  the  Lincoln  a  discarded  shop  room  in  the  annex  serves  this 
purpose.  In  most  cases  it  is  necessary  to  carry  around  from 
room  to  room  all  the  medical  inspection  supplies,  such  as  records, 
tongue  depressors,  etc. 

Every  medical  inspection  room  should  have  attached  to  it 
a  small  toilet  room  with  washing  facilities.  There  should  be  a 
special  cabinet  for  medical  supphes,  a  couch  upon  which  sick 
children  may  be  laid,  and  a  set  of  scales.  This  room  should  be 
particularly  well  Ugh  ted.  If  medical  inspection  in  BrookUne 
is  to  take  the  place  which  it  should  take  as  one  of  the  most  im- 
portant school  activities  special  rooms  must  be  set  aside  in  every 
building  for  the  use  of  nurses  and  doctors. 

Teachers^  and  Principal  Rooms. 

Brookhne  has  usually  made  very  good  provision  for  the  com- 
fort of  her  teachers  and  principals.  Teachers'  rooms  usually 
include  toilet  and  washroom,  a  couch,  chairs,  table,  and  either 
a  gas  or  electric  plate  where  food  may  be  heated.  Only  in  the 
Sewall,  Lincoln  grammar,  Lincoln  primary,  and  Lawrence  Schools 
are  the  teachers  really  poorly  housed.  At  the  Sewall  School 
there  is  no  special  toilet  for  the  teachers.  The  teachers'  room 
at  the  Lincoln  grammar  is  bare  and  unattractive.  At  the  Lin- 
coln primary  the  teachers'  room  is  positively  unpleasant.  If  a 
rug,  screen,  curtains,  steamer  rug,  pillow,  and  tablecloth  were 
added  the  appearance  of  the  room  might  be  greatly  improved. 
Since  there  is  no  artificial  Hght  of  any  kind  in  the  building  it  has 
been  impossible  to  install  any  means  of  heating  food.  Teachers 
carry  their  own  Thermos  bottles.  Considering  the  good  con- 
ditions  generally   found   in   Brookhne,    the   appearance   of   the 


112  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

teachers'  room  at  the  Lincoln  primary  is  a  distinct  shock  to  the 
visitor. 

Similar  conditions  exist  at  the  Lawrence  School.  The 
teachers'  room  is  furnished  by  three  chairs  and  an  old  desk. 
It  is  bare  and  unattractive.  There  is  no  place  in  the  building 
except  in  the  principal's  office  where  a  sick  teacher  or  child  may 
lie  down. 

The  principal's  office  in  the  Lawrence  is  also  exceedingly- 
bare  and  uninviting.  In  most  of  the  other  buildings  the  princi- 
pals are  well  taken  care  of. 

Summary  and  Recommendations. 

1.  It  is  recommended  that  a  special  office  be  prepared  in 
the  basement  of  each  school  for  the  use  of  the  janitor. 

2.  Special  rooms  devoted  to  the  medical  inspection  service 
should  be  provided  in  all  but  the  Heath  and  Devotion  Schools. 

3.  Most  of  the  teachers'  rooms  are  well  equipped  and  at- 
tractive, but  those  at  the  Sewall,  Lincoln  grammar,  Lincoln 
primary,  and  Lawrence  Schools  are  distinctly  inferior.  If  these 
buildings  were  to  be  continued  in  use  the  teachers'  rooms  would 
require  many  changes.  Even  for  temporary  service  an  attempt 
should  be  made  to  increase  their  facihties. 

4.  Offices  for  principals  are  usually  comfortable  and  well 
equipped.     The  Lawrence  School  offers  a  striking  exception. 

Heating  and  Ventilation. 
Heating  Apparatus. 

As  is  true  in  all  but  the  newest  of  school  systems  the  heating 
apparatus  of  the  various  Brookhne  buildings  shows  great  variety. 
It  is  unfortunately  true  that  there  is  hardly  a  city  in  any  of 
our  northern  States  in  which  the  heating  and  ventilating  of 
school  buildings  is  satisfactorily  cared  for;  and  the  most  serious 
element  of  the  whole  situation  is  that  as  yet  very  few  construc- 
tive suggestions  can  be  made  as  to  methods  of  improving  existing 
conditions.  It  is  probably  true  that  within  the  next  few  years- 
great  advances  will  be  made  towards  solving  this  problem,  and 


School  Buildings  and  Equipment  113 

it  is  urged  that  Brookline  remain  on  the  alert  to  discover  what  is 
being  done  and  take  advantage  of  new  suggestions. 

In  Brookline  the  heating  apparatus  ranges  all  the  way  from 
one  unjacketed  stove  in  the  Newton  Street  School  to  an  ex- 
ceedingly complicated  heating  and  ventilating  plant  at  the  Devo- 
tion School.  In  three  cases  heat  is  furnished  by  a  furnace  sup- 
plemented by  a  hot  water  heater  (or,  as  is  the  case  in  the  Long- 
wood,  a  hot  water  heater  which  has  been  turned  into  a  steam 
heater)  for  warming  corridors  and  toilets.  In  the  other  buildings 
heat  is  furnished  by  steam  boilers.  Direct  heat  is  furnished 
by  steam  pipes  around  the  walls  of  the  room,  and  indirect  heat 
by  means  of  air  taken  from  outside  and  slightly  warmed  before 
being  admitted  to  the  classroom. 

Ventilation. 

Ventilation  in  the  Brookline  buildings  is  usually  by  means 
of  open  windows  and  fresh  air  flues.  In  most  cases  within  the 
air  flue  there  is  a  steam  pipe  or  radiator  which  somewhat  warms 
the  air  before  it  goes  into  the  classroom.  In  six  of  the  buildings 
there  are  fans  which  pump  air  from  outside  into  the  classroom. 
At  the  Devotion  School  air  is  forced  in  from  outdoors,  and  strained, 
cleaned,  and  moistened  before  it  is  admitted  to  the  classrooms. 
At  the  Lincoln  annex  the  fan  is  used  only  in  coldest  weather 
when  it  is  impossible  to  heat  the  building  in  any  other  way. 
It  stands  in  the  center  of  the  floor  unprotected  by  sheltering  walls, 
and  instead  of  drawing  in  air  fresh  from  outdoors  it  collects  air 
from  all  parts  of  the  basement  and  sends  it  up  into  the  rooms. 
At  the  Lawrence  and  Parsons  Schools  it  is  also  possible  to  force 
air  drawn  from  the  fuel  bin,  toilet,  and  other  parts  of  the  base- 
ment up  into  the  classroom,  when  the  fan  is  going. 

Air  Ducts. 

Every  building  is  provided  with  some  sort  of  a  chamber 
or  duct  which  is  supposed  to  carry  fresh  air  from  outdoors  into 
the  building.  In  a  few  cases,  as  at  the  Devotion  School,  these 
ducts  are  placed  well  above  the  level  of  the  ground,  but  in  most 
of  the  schools  ducts  are  so  located  as  readily  to  admit  flying  dirt, 


114  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

decayed  vegetable  matter,  and  the  like.  The  position  of  the 
air  intake  was  noted  in  the  case  of  12  of  the  Brookline  buildings. 
The  results  were  as  follows: 


10  feet  above  ground 2 

4  feet  above  ground 3  cases 

2)4  feet  above  ground. ^ 1  case 

Just  clearing  the  ground 3  cases 

Below  ground  level 3  cases 

That  is,  of  the  12  cases  examined  six  were  either  below 
the  level  of  the  ground  or  just  at  the  ground  line.  Every  time  a 
strong  draft  sucks  in  cold  air  from  outside  it  is  apt  to  carry  with 
it  particles  of  dust  and  dirt  and  force  them  up  into  the  rooms 
where  children  are  sitting.  In  one  or  two  schools  an  effort  has 
been  made  to  filter  incoming  air  by  means  of  fine  cheesecloth 
screens,  but  these  precautions,  which  should  be  taken  everywhere, 
are  found  only  in  the  better  schools  where  air  inlets  are  high 
and  well  protected.  Inlets  in  the  old  schools,  which  are  at  or 
below  ground  level,  are  usually  closed  by  an  iron  grill  which 
serves  chiefly  as  a  means  of  preventing  small  bugs  from  crawhng 
into  the  pipe. 

At  the  Pierce  Grammar  School  air  is  taken  from  the  street 
level.  It  is  then  drawn  over  the  tops  of  the  boilers,  and  no  proper 
separation  has  been  made  between  the  air  ducts  and  the  boiler. 
The  incoming  fresh  air  is  mixed  with  gas  from  leaky  joints,  soot, 
etc.,  and  is  carried  up  to  the  classroom  for  children  to  breathe. 
The  heating  plant  of  the  Pierce  School  is  in  need  of  alterations. 

Measurements  of  Heat. 

Every  room  in  Brookline  is  supposed  to  be  equipped  with 
a  thermometer,  and  the  teachers  are  required  to  send  in  monthly 
reports  of  the  daily  temperatures  in  their  rooms.  Except  in 
those  buildings  which  are  equipped  with  thermostats  there  is 
no  way  for  the  janitor  to  tell  how  warm  different  rooms  are 
without  visiting  them  in  person.  There  are  no  thermographs 
in  the  Brookhne  schools.  The  thermograph  is  a  device  which 
registers  in  the  janitor's  office  the  amount  of  heat  in  each  of  the 
classrooms  in  his  building.     It  is  comparatively  inexpensive  and 


School  Buildings  and  Equipment 


115 


simple  to  install,  and  greatly  simplifies  the  janitor's  task  during 
the  cold  weather,  when  changes  in  heat  are  frequently  necessary. 

Classrooms  should  never  be  allowed  to  show  a  temperature 
higher  than  68°  F.  In  many  places  where  air  is  properly 
moistened  this  standard  can  be  lowered  to  65  degrees  with  notice- 
able increase  in  comfort;  68  degrees,  however,  is  the  accepted 
temperature  for  classrooms  in  general.  As  was  stated  in  an  earlier 
paragraph,  every  classroom  is  furnished  with  a  thermometer  and 
the  teachers  are  required  to  send  in  reports  of  temperatures 
taken  at  8.30  and  11  in  the  morning.  Such  a  regulation  keeps 
the  teachers  interested  in  the  question  of  heat  and  ventilation. 
It  is  unfortunate  that  many  of  the  teachers  have  come  to  believe, 
and  with  reason,  that  no  one  ever  reads  these  reports  after  they 
are  sent. 

Careful  scrutiny  of  the  temperature  reports  would  undoubt- 
edly lead  to  radical  changes  in  school  procedure.  For  example, 
the  following  records  were  found  recorded  in  tliree  of  the  Lincoln 

School  rooms. 

Lincoln  Primary. 


December 

8.30 

11 

4 

72 

76 

5 

80 

76 

6 

76 

74 

7 

73 

72 

8 

78 

76 

4 

70 

68 

5 

74 

70 

6 

76 

72 

7 

74 

70 

8 

72 
Lincoln  Grammar. 

70 

December 

8.30 

11 

4 

68 

76 

5 

70 

75 

6 

77 

77 

7 

69 

74 

8  • 

68 

76 

Undoubtedly  these  figures  do  not  represent  conditions  in  all 
school  buildings.  They  are  probably  extreme  cases,  although 
they  were  not  selected  for  that  reason.  In  both  of  the  Lincoln 
buildings  classrooms  face  towards  the  south  and  receive  direct 


116  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

sunlight  most  of  the  morning.  It  is  difficult  to  keep  the  tempera- 
tures as  low  as  they  should  be  kept;  but  such  extremes  as  are  noted 
in  the  three  tables  given  above  should  have  been  the  basis  for 
immediate  investigation. 

Care  should  be  taken  in  placing  the  classroom  thermometer 
to  see  that  it  is  not  subjected  to  special  factors  which  do  not 
represent  conditions  in  the  rooms.  For  example,  at  the  Lawrence 
School  in  one  of  the  second-floor  rooms  on  December  7  the  ther- 
mometer showed  a  temperature  of  68°  F.,  but  the  thermometer 
on  the  sling  psychrometer  measured  only  63  degrees.  The  classroom 
thermometer  hangs  on  the  wall  just  beside  the  crack  in  the  door 
which  leads  into  the  hallway.  Temperature  in  the  hallway 
was  very  much  higher  than  in  the  room  and  it  seems  certain  that 
the  thermometer  was  registering  not  the  real  classroom  heat  but 
the  heat  of  the  air  which  was  coming  through  the  crack  in  the 
door.  The  best  location  for  a  classroom  thermometer  is  the  center 
of  the  room  suspended  by  a  string  from  the  ceihng. 

Humidity. 

In  the  Devotion,  Pierce  primary^  Pierce  grammar  and  Heath 
Schools  special  apparatus  has  been  erected  to  provide  a  sufficient 
amount  of  moisture  in  the  air.  At  the  Lawrence  School  there 
is  no  special  humidifying  apparatus,  but.  steam  jets  are  kept 
going  in  most  of  the  rooms.  These  devices  are  installed  for  the 
purpose  of  preventing  the  classroom  air  from  becoming  too  dry. 
When  air  is  heated  it  expands  and  thereby  increases  its  capacity 
for  moisture.  Unless  it  is  artificially  supplied  this  hot  dry  air 
tends  to  absorb  the  moisture  upon  the  skin  and  mucous  mem- 
brane surfaces  of  people  within  the  room.  It  has  been  apparently 
successfully  demonstrated  that  one  of  the  common  conditions 
which  lead  to  "catching  cold"  is  the  air  of  a  hot  room  which, 
by  absorbing  moisture  from  the  mucous  membrane  of  nose  and 
throat,  makes  these  parts  flushed  and  sensitive  and  renders  them 
easily  affected  by  germs. 

In  order  to  determine  the  amount  of  humidity  in  Brookline 
classrooms  tests  were  made  by  means  of  the  shng  psychrometer. 
The  results  are  shown  in  the  following  table. 


School  Buildings  and  Equipment 


117 


PSYCHROMETER    READINGS    IN    18    BrOOKLINE    CLASSROOMS 


School 

5 

Barometer 

;2 

:2 
a; 

1 

1 

11 

1^ 

1 
1:^ 

Lincoln  irrimary 

8 

30.0 

75 

54 

21 

80 

21 

Parsons 

7 

29.8 

65 

48 

17 

72 

24 

Devotion  intermediate 

8 

30.0 

69 

52 

17 

80 

28 

Lincoln  primary 

8 

30.0 

69 

52 

17 

80 

28 

Devotion  grammar 

8 

30.0 

70 

53 

17 

80 

29 

Lawrence 

7 

29.8 

63 

48 

15 

72 

29 

Parsons* 

7 

29.8 

54 

43 

11 

72 

29 

Lawrence 

7 

29.8 

67 

51 

16 

72 

30 

Lincoln  primary 

8 

30.0 

65 

50 

15 

80 

31 

Lincoln  annex 

8 

30.0 

68 

52 

16 

80 

31 

Devotion  grammar 

8 

30.0 

69 

53 

16 

80 

32 

Devotion  primary 

8 

30.0 

66 

51 

15 

80 

32 

Devotion  grammar 

8 

30.0 

67 

52 

15 

80 

33 

Lincoln  primary 

8 

30.0 

70 

54 

16 

80  • 

33 

Lincoln  grammar 

8 

30.0 

70 

54 

16 

80 

33 

Devotion  primary 

8 

30.0 

68 

54 

15 

80 

34 

Lawrence 

7 

29.8 

64 

50 

14 

72 

34 

Devotion  intermediate 

8 

30.0 

66 

52 

14 

80 

36 

*  Parsons  open  air  class. 


It  will  be  noted  here  that  the  relative  humidity  of  the  class- 
rooms on  the  days  tested  ranges  from  21  in  the  Lincoln  Primary 
School  to  36  in  the  Devotion  Intermediate  School,  with  an  average 
humidity  of  31.  Even  at  the  Devotion  School,  which  is  equipped 
with  an  elaborate  humidifying  apparatus,  it  is  amazing  to  note 
the  great  difference  on  a  given  day  between  the  mean  relative 
humidity  of  the  outside  air  as  compared  with  the  relative  humidity 
of  the  classroom  air.  All  of  these  measurements  were  taken 
on  days  when  the  sun  was  shining  brightly.  Measurements 
taken  on  one  day  during  rainy  weather  were  omitted  from  this 
calculation  because  conditions  were  not  typical. 


118  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

An  interesting  element  is  the  humidity  of  the  open  air  class 
at  the  Parsons  School,  which  is  only  29  as  compared  with  a 
mean  relative  humidity  of  72  for  the  same  day  outdoors.  In 
the  open  air  class  all  the  windows  and  doors  were  open  when  the 
tests  were  made.  A  considerable  amount  of  hot  air  was  being 
forced  into  the  room  from  furnaces  below,  and  there  was  a  very 
strong  draft  from  the  hallway  into  the  room.  The  air  of  the 
open  air  classroom  was  more  than  twice  as  dry  as  that  outdoors. 
The  explanation  probably  is  the  air  in  the  open  air  classroom  was 
coming  from  other  parts  of  the  building  and  rushing  out  the 
window.  When  the  anemometer  used  to  test  air  currents  was 
held  in  the  open  doorway  which  led  f^om  the  stairs  going  down 
to  the  toilet  room  it  registered  a  very  strong  incoming  rush  of 
air  being  drawn  from  the  basements  and  toilet  rooms  into  the 
open  air  classroom. 
Air  Currents. 

It  is  usually  held  that  at  least  2000  cubic  feet  of  air  per 
child  per  hour  should  be  admitted  to  every  classroom.  In  Brook- 
line  some  measurements  of  air  inflow  and  outflow  were  taken  in 
the  elementary  and  high  schools  by  means  of  what  is  known  as 
the  anemometer,  which  measures  the  velocity  of  air  currents. 
In  the  elementary  schools  findings  range  from  480  cubic  feet  per 
child  per  hour  to  1440  cubic  feet  per  child  per  hour  of  air  being 
admitted  through  the  fresh  air  inlet  of  each  classroom  studied. 
The  outlets  of  the  same  rooms  showed  a  variation  of  from  1020 
cubic  feet  to  3660  cubic  feet  per  child  per  hour. 

The  apparent  discrepancy  between  the  small  amount  of  air 
being  admitted  through  the  fresh  air  flue  and  the  large  amount 
being  expelled  through  the  foul  air  flue  may  largely  be  accounted 
for  by  the  fact  that  in  the  18  rooms  examined  15  had  open  win- 
dows and  of  the  others  three  had  at  least  one  door  open  into 
the  hallway.  These  rooms  secured  most  of  their  heat  from 
direct  heating  by  steam  pipes  and  most  of  their  fresh  air  from 
outdoors  or  from  the  corridors  of  the  school  building.  Com- 
paratively small  amounts  were  admitted  through  the  fresh  air 
inlet.  In  several  cases  there  was  no  perceptible  draft  at  the 
inlet;  in  others  warm  air  was  admitted  in  gusts  blowing  violently 


School  Buildings  and  Equipment  119 

for  a  few  seconds  and  then  becoming  still.  In  one  room  in  the 
Lincoln  annex  a  back  draft  in  the  foul  air  outlet  sent  cold  air 
into  the  room  in  a  strong  current.  A  more  careful  study  of 
conditions  in  the  Lincoln  building  will  probably  reveal  that  when 
the  wind  is  in  a  certain  direction  the  foul  air  outlet  actually  serves 
as  an  inlet  for  cold  outdoor  air.  Certain  rooms  in  the  building 
are  proverbially  hard  to  heat,  and  it  is  not  unlikely  that  the 
explanation  for  this  condition  will  be  found  in  the  action  of  the 
wind  on  the  foul  air  flue. 

Summary  and  Recommendations. 

1.  The  heating  and  ventilating  apparatus  in  the  Brookhne 
schools  shows  wide  variety,  including  stove,  furnace,  hot  water, 
and  steam  heating;  and  window,  cold  air,  warm  air,  and  plenum 
fan  ventilation. 

2.  Several  of  the  schools  have  fans  to  aid  in  ventilation. 
Some  of  these  when  in  use  force  air  from  the  toilet  rooms  into 
the  upper  parts  of  the  building.  All  fans  should  be  installed 
in  fan  chambers,  directly  connected  with  the  outer  air,  and  cut 
off  from  the  rest  of  the  basement. 

3.  In  all  new  buildings  openings  to  air  chambers  should  be 
placed  well  above  the  ground  level.  In  old  buildings  cheese- 
cloth should  be  stretched  across  the  openings  to  strain  out  dirt' 
This  cloth  should  be  changed  at  frequent  intervals. 

4.  The  heating  and  ventilating  plant  at  the  Pierce  Grammar 
School  should  be  examined  by  a  competent  heating  engineer  and 
changes  made  in  accordance  with  his  suggestions. 

5.  A  thermograph  system  —  whereby  the  temperature  of 
each  room  is  automatically  recorded  in  the  janitor's  office  —  should 
be  placed  in  every  school  where  thermostats  are  not  already 
installed. 

6.  Unless  the  temperature  records  reported  daily  by  school 
teachers  are  to  be  used  as  the  basis  for  constructive  work  by 
janitors  and  the  central  office  they  should  not  be  gathered.  If 
excessive  temperatures  are  maintained  there  is  little  advantage 
in  the  fact  that  records  are  made  of  them.  Such  records  can  be 
useful,  but  they  require  being  studied  as  well  as  being  collected. 


120  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

7.  The  air  of  Brookline  classrooms  is  uniformly  too  dry. 
No  constructive  suggestions  can  at  present  be  given  as  to  means 
of  remedying  this  situation,  but  it  is  urged  that  a  study  be  made 
of  different  ventilating  systems  in  order  to  ascertain  what  plan 
should  be  followed  in  future  buildings. 

^.  More  attention  should  be  paid  to  the  direction  of  air 
•currents.  IWhere  rooms  are  hard  to  heat  back  drafts  in  foul  air 
flues  should  be  looked  for.  Where  windows  and  doors  are  open 
in  classrooms  teachers  should  be  taught  how  to  discover  whether 
the  air  is  coming  in  the  windows  and  going  out  the  door,  or  coming 
in  the  door  and  going  out  the  windows.  Better  supervision  and 
more  intelUgent  instruction  to  teachers  are  needed  to  improve 
the  hygienic  conditions  of  schoolrooms. 


Fire  Risks. 
Basements. 

Most  school  fires  start  in  the  basement.  If,  therefore,  base- 
ments can  be  rendered  thoroughly  fireproof,  probably  the  most 
important  single  step  has  been  taken  towards  safeguarding  the 
lives  of  the  children.  In  the  standard  schoolhouse  such  as  is 
now  being  built  in  progressive  communities,  the  heating  plant 
is  completely  isolated.  Furnaces  or  boilers  are  surrounded  by 
fireproof  ceihngs,  walls,  and  doors.  These  doors  are  of  metal 
or  metal  covered,  closely  fitted  in  the  surrounding  frame,  and  hung 
with  springs  so  that  they  remain  closed.  Not  only  is  the  ceiling 
directly  above  the  heating  plant  of  fireproof  material,  but  usually 
the  entire  basement  is  separated  from  the  rooms  above  it  by 
fireproof  floors.  Fuel  bins  are  also  isolated,  and  are  usually  built 
imderground  beyond  the  main  foundation  walls  of  the  building. 
They  are  completely  fireproof  and  closed  with  fireproof  doors, 
or  metal  slides.  Storage  rooms  in  the  basement  are  of  fireproof 
construction  and  special  care  is  taken  to  see  that  oil,  paint,  cotton 
waste,  etc.,  are  so  placed  that  they  cannot  readily  become  a 
source  of  danger. 

In  many  modern  buildings  automatic  sprinklers  have  been 
Installed  in  storage  rooms  and  heating  rooms,  so  that  in  case  of 


School  Buildings  and  Equipment  121 

fire  an  alarm  will  automatically  be  given  and  the  blaze  drenched 
with  water.  The  cellar  stairs  are  of  fireproof  construction. 
No  wood  is  used  in  their  building  and  they  are  separated  from 
the  upper  floors  by  fireproof  doors  which  automatically  swing 
closed.  Steam  pipes  and  other  heat  pipes  are  carefully  protected 
so  that  they  will  not  come  in  contact  with  wooden  partitions. 
Electric  fights  are  used  instead  of  gas  or  kerosene.  Gas  meters 
are  carefully  installed  so  that  there  may  be  no  danger  of  leaking 
joints  and  consequent  explosions. 

In  the  preceding  paragraphs  brief  mention  has  been  made  of 
these  safient  features  which  are  recognized  by  school  men  as 
necessary  if  a  building  is  to  be  thoroughly  protected  from  base- 
ment fires.  In  Brookline  there  are  a  few  schools  in  which  most 
of  these  provisions  have  been  carried  out.  WTiile  not  ideal  in 
every  way  the  heating  plants  of  the  Driscoll,  Runkle,  Devotion, 
Pierce  grammar  and  Heath  Schools  may  all  be  ranked  as  fairly 
well  protected. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  heating  plants  in  the  basements  of 
the  Lincoln  primary,  Lincoln  annex,  Lincoln  grammar.   Long- 
wood,  Cabot,  Sewall,  and  Lawrence  Schools  all  present  fire  risks 
of  a  sort  which  should  not  be  tolerated. 
Lavjrence. 

At  the  Lawrence,  which  is  a  half  brick,  half  wood  building 
with  a  shingle  roof,  fuel  is  separated  from  the  boilers  by  wooden 
partitions,  the  ceiUng  directly  above  the  boiler  is  of  plaster  on 
wire  lath,  but  other  portions  of  the  ceifing  are  not  so  protected. 
There  are  no  doors  to  the  boiler  room.  The  main  stairway  is 
of  wood  and  not  properly  separated  from  the  rest  of  the  building. 
Parsons. 

At  the  Parsons  School,  which  is  also  a  combination  of  brick 
and  wood,  neither  of  the  furnaces  is  separated  from  the  rest  of 
the  basement.  Fuel  is  in  the  same  room  with  the  furnace  in 
each  case  and  is  held  in  place  by  wooden  partitions.  At  one  end 
of  the  building  when  the  coal  bin  is  well  filled  the  heat  pipes 
rest  directly  on  the  coal.  Above  both  furnaces  is  a  sheet  of  metal 
which  extends  for  a  short  area.  The  basement  stairs  in  the 
Parsons  School  are  unusually  treacherous.     They  are  narrow, 


122  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

poorly  lighted,  and  contain  many  dangerous  corners  and  wedge- 
shaped  steps,  so  that  the  sn^aller  children  are  unable  to  descend 
them  without  the  help  of  a  teacher  or  nurse.  Connection  between 
the  various  parts  of  the  basement  is  peculiarly  complicated  and 
in  tim.e  of  panic  or  fire  children  might  easily  be  trapped  there. 

Although  the  Parsons  School  is  a  bad  fire  risk  it  has  two 
redeeming  features  —  first,  comparatively  few  children  are  en- 
rolled, and  second,  the  janitor  being  aware  of  the  dangej*  is  par- 
ticularly careful  to  keep  fuel  away  from  the  furnace  door,  to 
store  oil,  waste  and  other  inflammable  material  properly,  and  to 
prevent  the  accumulation  of  furniture.  One  of  the  best  examples 
of  school  house-keeping  observed  during  the  October  period  of 
the  inspection  was  in  the  basement  of  the  Parsons  School.  It  is 
needed  there. 

Sewall. 

In  the  Sewall  School  the  only  attempt  to  isolate  the  heating 
plant  from  the  rest  of  the  building  is  wire  lath  and  plaster  in  the 
ceiUng  directly  above  the  boiler.  There  are  no  doors  or  partitions 
even  of  wood  to  separate  the  boiler  from  the  rest  of  the  basement. 
The  fuel  supply  is  close  to  the  boiler.     Cellar  stairs  are  of  wood. 

Cabot. 

At  the  Cabot  School  the  main  stairway  is  directly  over  the 
boiler.  The  main  coal  supply  is  on  the  floor  of  the  basement, 
not  isolated  by  walls  or  doors.  A  small  supply  of  coal  is  kept 
near  the  boiler.  "A  wooden  partition  eight  feet  from  the  boiler 
with  a  wooden  door  closes  off  the  furnace  room  from  the 
rest  of  the  cellar.  The  stairs  leading  to  the  basement  are  of  w^ood 
and  have  three  bad  wedge-shaped  steps  at  the  top,  which  render 
them  extremely  unsafe  for  the  use  of  primarj-  children.  The 
Cabot  School  is  of  old-fashioned  construction  and  would  burn 
easily. 

Longwood. 

At  the  Longwood  School  a  w^ooden  coal  bin  is  within  six 
feet  of  the  furnace  door.  The  cellar  ceiHng  is  not  fireproof  and 
the  smoke  pipe  from  the  furnace  runs  from  within  two  feet  to 


iScHOOL  Buildings  and  Equipment  123 

within  10  inches  of  the  ceiHng.  A  rather  hurried  inspection 
made  by  the  Survey  visitor  disclosed  no  evidence  of  extra  fire- 
proofing  directly  above  the  boiler  or  between  the  smoke  pipe  and 
the  ceihng.  Two  unprotected  steam  pipes  pass  through  small 
holes  in  wooden  partitions  near  enough  to  become  a  source  of  fire. 
Wooden  stairs  lead  from  the  first  floor  to  the  basement,  and  are 
not  closed  off  from  the  rest  of  the  building  by  doors.  The  building 
is  overrun  with  rats. 

Lincoln  Grammar. 

The  most  dangerous  basement  conditions  in  the  BrookUne 
pubUc  schools  were  found  in  the  Lincoln  buildings.  In  the 
Lincoln  Grammar  School  the  basement  ceihng,  apparently  not 
fireproof,  is  within  two  feet  of  the  top  of  the  boiler  with  pipes 
running  between  the  two.  The  boiler  room  is  separated  from  the 
rest  of  the  basement  by  a  metal  covered  door,  but  space  is  left 
open  directly  above.  There  is  no  door  to  the  fuel  room.  The 
hot  smoke  pipe  from  the  boiler  at  the  time  of  the  October  inspec- 
tion was  actually  resting  upon  the  coal.  It  passes  six  inches 
above  a  wooden  partition  and  two  feet  below  a  lath  and  plaster 
ceihng.  The  boiler  is  situated  directly  under  one  of  the  main 
stairways  of  the  building.  At  the  September  visit  a  pile  of 
coke  was  directly  under  the  wooden  basement  stairs.  In  the 
basement  storeroom  the  oil  supply  and  the  supply  of  cotton 
waste  were  stored  side  by  side.  This  storeroom  is  provided 
with  brick  walls,  a  wooden  floor,  and  wooden  doors.  Wooden 
furniture  was  piled  in  the  same  room  with  the  other  inflammable 
material. 

Lincoln  Annex. 

In  the  Lincoln  annex,  at  the  September  inspection,  a  coal 
pile  rested  against  the  wooden  toilet  partition.  There  is  no  door 
to  the  fuel  room.  The  ceiUng  is  apparently  of  laths  and  plaster, 
and  is  unprotected.  A  pile  of  coke  rested  against  a  single  board 
partition  beyond  which  are  wooden  stairs.  This  pile  still  remained 
at  the  time  of  the  October  inspection.  A  smoke  pipe  runs  close 
to  the  ceiHng.     It  is  protected  from  the  ceihng  by  a  small  sheet 


124  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

of  metal  in  one  place,  but  along  most  of  its  length  is  unprotected. 
Steam  pipes  run  through  roughly  cut  holes  in  wooden  partitions, 
and  at  places  actually  touched  the  wood.  Unprotected  steam 
pipes  run  over  piles  of  coal,  in  some  places  nearly  touching  them. 
Piles  of  old  furniture  were  neatly  stored  in  the  basement. 

Lincoln  Primary. 

In  the  Lincoln  Primary  School  heat  is  furnished  by  two  fur- 
naces, one  under  each  half  of  the  building.  In  the  western  end 
the  furnace  is  within  18  inches  of  an  unprotected  ceihng.  Coal 
filled  the  rest  of  the  room  at  the  September  inspection,  and  was 
held  back  a  few  feet  from  the  furnace  door  by  wooden  planks. 
Unprotected  furnace  pipes  passed  directly  over  it,  nearly  touching. 
There  is  no  door  to  the  furnace  room.  In  the  eastern  wing  the 
coal  supply  was  banked  up  within  two  feet  of  the  furnace  door. 
Unprotected  furnace  pipes  run  within  a  few  inches  of  the  ceiling, 
with  piles  of  lumber  directly  below.  A  metal  sheet  is  placed 
above  the  smoke  pipe,  but  the  other  pipes  are  not  so  protected. 
A  heat  pipe  runs  just  far  enough  above  a  wooden  air  intake  to 
allow  the  Surveyor's  hand  to  slip  in  flat  between  the  two.  Furni- 
ture and  coal  were  stored  side  by  side  in  this  same  room  near 
the  furnace.  Ash  cans  were  close  to  the  wood  supply.  The 
basement  of  the  Lincoln  Primary  School  is  so  dark  that  it  is 
almost  impossible  to  see  one's  way.  There  is  no  means  of  artificial 
lighting.  The  stairs  are  of  wood,  closed  by  wooden  doors.  The 
basement  is  so  dark  that  it  was  only  through  a  sudden  fall  over 
an  unexpected  obstruction  that  the  Survey  visitor  discovered  a 
pile  of  coal  directly  under  the  front  stairs,  actually  touching  the 
wooden  stair  tread.  Old  furniture  is  stored  under  the  back  stair- 
way. 

Summary. 

The  basements  of  the  Lawrence,  Parsons,  Sewall,  Cabot, 
Longwood,  Lincoln  grammar,  Lincoln  annex  and  Lincoln  pri- 
mary buildings  present  conditions  so  serious  that  they  call  for 
immediate  and  drastic  action. 


School  Buildings  and  Equipment  125 

The  ''  Cyclopedia  of  lire  Prevention  and  Insurance,"  Vol.  I^ 
page  67,  states  that  in  the  United  States  we  average  10  schools 
burned  up  or  partially  destroyed  every  week  in  the  year.  Brook- 
line  may  escape  for  an  indefinite  time.  It  is  for  the  citizens  of 
Brookline  to  decide  how  far  they  shall  take  chances  with  the  Uves- 
of  their  children. 

Attics. 

The  most  approved  plan  in  building  schoolhouses  does  away 
with  the  pitched  roof  entirely  and  substitutes  a  flat  roof,  such  as- 
is  now  commonly  found  in  apartment  houses,  hotels,  etc.  The 
fiat  roof  of  the  schoolhouse  is  generally  utiUzed  for  open  air  gym- 
nasiums, playrooms,  open  air  classes  or  roof  gardens.  Where  for 
any  reason  it  seems  desirable  to  have  a  pitched  roof,  the  greatest 
care  is  taken  to  prevent  possible  tire  risk  by  cutting  off  all  drafts. 
In  buildings  of  the  old-fashioned  type  of  construction,  fires  which 
started  in  the  basement  or  in  the  lower  stories  were  apt  to  spread 
quickly  between  the  outer  and  inner  walls  until  they  reached  the 
attic.  Large  open  spaces  in  the  attic,  especially  when  combined 
with  loose-fitting  windows  or  cupolas,  acted  as  flues  to  suck  flames; 
up  toward  the  top  of  the  building. 

Where  the  old-style  wooden  lath  construction  has  given  way 
to  wire  lath,  and  floors  have  been  properly  fire  stopped,  the  danger 
that  fires  will  spread  between  walls  has  become  greatly  lessened. 
Nevertheless,  large,  open  attic  spaces,  because  of  their  tendency  to 
create  drafts  within  the  building  and  because  of  the  hkelihood 
that  they  will  be  used  as  storage  places  for  combustible  material, 
are  from  the  point  of  view  of  fire  protection  undesirable. 

Where  attics  exist  they  should  be  closed  off  from  the  rest  of 
the  building  by  fireproof  doors  which  are  kept  securely  locked  at 
all  times.  If  the  attic  space  is  large,  partitions  should  be  placed 
across  it,  so  as  to  cut  it  into  two  or  three  separate  rooms.  No- 
furniture,  paper  or  other  storage  material  of  any  kind  should  be 
allowed  in  the  school  attic. 

There  are  no  buildings  in  the  BrookUne  system  which  are  of 
the  modern  flat-roofed  type.  In  the  cases  of  the  Runkle  and 
Devotion  Schools,  which  are  built  on  the  cottage  plan  of  three 


126  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

buildings  for  each  plant,  the  reason  given  for  erecting  the  newest 
building  with  a  pitched  roof  was  that  it  was  necessary  to  make 
each  new  building  conform  to  the  general  architectural  type  of 
the  group.  This  argument,  however,  does  not  hold  for  the  Dris- 
coU  School,  built  in  1911,  standing  by  itself  and  provided  with  a 
large  attic.  While  it  is  frequently  claimed  that  the  large  attic  is 
a  remnant  of  early  school  architecture,  it  is  interesting  to  note 
that  in  Brookline  this  is  not  the  case.  Schools  such  as  the  Law- 
rence, Lincoln,  Parsons  and  Cabot,  which  are  among  the  older 
buildings  of  Brookline,  have  comparatively  small  and  low  attics, 
some  of  which  cannot  be  reached  by  the  ordinary  stairway.  In 
Brookhne  the  large  attics  seem  to  be  a  modern  tendency  w4iich  is 
distinctly  undesirable. 

Large  attics  are  found  at  the  Driscoll,  Runkle,  Devotion, 
Longwood  and  Sewall  Schools.  In  the  first  three,  fire  risk  is 
materially  lessened  by  the  use  of  metal  lath  in  building.  Each  of 
these,  however,  shows  large  open  spaces,  and  in  all  five  plants 
there  is  a  certain  amount  of  furniture  stored  away  in  the  attic. 
In  each  case  the  furniture  is  of  comparatively  small  amount  and 
neatly  stored.  It  should,  however,  be  removed.  In  the  Long- 
wood  School  there  is  no  good  place  to  store  even  supplies  such  as 
books,  paper,  etc.  Shelves  have  been  placed  at  the  foot  of  the 
attic  stairs  and  much  of  the  material  is  placed  in  the  attic  itself. 
The  use  of  any  school  attic  for  storage  purposes,  unless  the  space 
is  properly  fireproofed,  is  distinctly  dangerous  and  should  not  be 
allowed.  A  rule  should  also  be  passed  prohibiting  the  leaving  open 
of  attic  doors  during  school  hours.  In  visiting  BrookUne  schools, 
it  was  unusual  to  find  an  attic  door  locked. 

Summary  and  Recmnmendations. 

There  are  three  suggestions  to  make  concerning  the  attics  of 
Brookhne  school  buildings: 

1.  Keep  them  empty. 

2.  Keep  them  locked! 

3.  Never  build  another. 


School  Buildings  and  Equipment  127 

Corridors. 

It  is  safe  to  lay  down  the  general  proposition  that  the  main 
corridors  in  school  buildings  should  never  be  less  than  11  feet 
wide,  nor  more  than  18.  If  they  are  narrower  than  11  feet,  they 
make  it  difficult  for  classes  to  move  rapidly  about.  If  they  are 
wider  than  18  feet,  the  cubic  foot  cost  of  the  building  is  greatly 
and  unnecessarily  increased.  The  exact  number  of  feet  must 
depend  upon  the  number  of  classrooms  which  empty  into  that 
corridor.  If  wardrobes  or  other  pieces  of  equipment  must  be 
placed  in  the  hall,  the  width  of  corridors  should  be  increased.  It  is 
highly  undesirable,  however,  to  make  any  such  provision  for 
corridor  equipment.  Every  drinking  fountain,  wardrobe,  show- 
case, or  piece  of  statuary  which  projects  out  into  the  hallway 
becomes  a  possible  source  of  danger  in  time  of  panic,  because  it 
may  serve  to  impede  the  direct  line  of  escape  for  marching  chil- 
dren. Where  statuary,  drinking  fountains  and  the  Uke  are  needed 
they  should  be  placed  in  especially  prepared  niches  and  set  flush 
with  the  main  wall. 

In  most  of  the  Brookline  schools  wardrobes  for  children's 
wraps  have  been  placed  in  the  hallways.  In  a  few  cases,  such  as 
at  the  Driscoll,  Devotion  grammar,  Pierce  primary,  Lawrence 
and  Parsons  Schools,  regular  cloakrooms  have  been  built  adjoining 
classrooms,  but  in  most  of  the  other  schools  wooden  walls  or  wire 
screens  have  been  placed  in  the  corridors  and  the  enclosed  space 
used  for  wardrobe  purposes. 

At  the  Heath  and  Runkle  Schools  these  hall  wardrobes  are 
placed  in  alcoves  set  off  from  the  main  corridor  in  such  a  way  that 
they  do  not  interfere  seriously  with  direct  passage.  Even  in  these 
schools  if  there  were  a  panic  the  hall  wardrobes  might  lead  to 
serious  results  because,  as  has  been  repeatedly  demonstrated, 
children  who  become  frightened  are  apt  to  rush  from  the  fine  and 
seek  to  secure  their  coats  and  wraps  before  going  outdoors. 
Where  wardrobes  are  on  the  Une  of  march  it  is  sometimes  difficult 
to  control  this  hysterical  tendency. 

The  wardrobe  danger  at  Heath  and  Runkle,  however,  is  far 
less  serious  than  in  the  cases  of  several  of  the  other  schools,  where 
the  closed-oft  spaces  in  the  hall  have  seriously  encroached  upon 


128  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

the  available  exit  space,  and  where  spaces  are  often  left  between 
the  wardrobes  in  such  a  Avay  that  if  there  were  a  panic  weak  chil- 
dren would  be  apt  to  be  pushed  into  the  spaces  by  the  rush  of 
their  stronger  classmates. 

At  the  Cabot  School  partitions  which  formerly  enclosed  ward- 
robes have  been  removed,  and  hooks  left  along  the  wall.  Had  this 
task  been  properly  completed  the  Cabot  corridors  would  be  amply 
wide  for  every  need.  Unfortunately,  on  each  floor  cupboards 
have  been  left  at  the  center  of  one  side,  projecting  out  into  the  hall 
for  a  distance  of  six  feet.  These  cupboards  are  a  serious  source  of 
danger  and  should  be  speedily  removed. 

The  following  table  indicates,  in  the  case  of  12  Brookhne 
buildings  for  which  exact  measurements  were  taken,  the  available 
free  width  of  corridor  space;  that  is,  the  amount  of  space  left  free 
for  the  passage  of  children  after  the  "width  of  obstructions  has 
been  deducted. 

Corridor   Width  Free 

School  from  Obstructions 

Lincoln  annex 5  feet 

Sewall 5  feet  6  inches 

Runkle  primary 6  feet 

Lincoln  grammar 7  feet 

Devotion  primary 7  feet  6  inches 

Devotion  intermediate 7  feet  10  inches 

Longwood 8  feet 

Cabot 8  feet  3  inches 

Heath 10  feet 

Pierce  primary 10  feet  4  inches 

Devotion  grammar 11  feet  9  inches 

DriscoU 12  feet 

In  large  buildings  it  is  exceedingly  desirable  to  build  corri- 
dors in  such  a  way  that  by  means  of  vertical  partitions  and  doors 
the  building  may  be  cut  into  two  or  more  units,  completely  sepa- 
rated from  each  other  by  fireproof  stops.  This  makes  it  possible 
in  case  of  fire  in  one  end  of  the  building  rapidly  to  transfer  children 
to  other  parts  and  to  shut  off  the  dangerous  portion  from  the  rest 
of  the  schoolhouse  so  that  smoke  and  flames  cannot  for  a  consider- 
able time  escape.     An  excellent  example  of  vertical  fire  stoppings 


School  Buildings  and  Equipment  129 

may  be  found  at  the  Heath  School  in  Brookline.  By  means  of 
fireproof  doors  the  Heath  School  may  be  cut  into  three  separate 
portions.  Stairs  are  situated  near  each  end,  so  that  in  case  of  fire 
one  end  may  be  completely  shut  off  and  children  led  to  safety  by 
means  of  the  other  stairway.  Vertical  fire  stopping  is  a  compara- 
tively inexpensive  and  exceedingly  effective  means  of  providing 
for  safe  exit  in  case  of  fire. 

Summary  and  Recommendations. 

In  many  of  the  Brookhne  schools  wardrobes  are  built  in 
the  main  hallway.  They  seriously  decrease  the  available  corridor 
space,  and  in  time  of  fire  might  easily  cause  loss  of  life.  Of 
12  buildings  studied,  only  two  have  free  corridor  space  equal 
to  the  minimum  allowed  in  buildings  which  accord  with  modern 
standards. 

It  is  strongly  urged  that  all  wardrobes  be  either  entirely 
removed  from  the  halls,  or  else  made  narrower,  so  as  to  secure  at 
least  11  feet  of  clear  corridor  width  wherever  possible. 

Auditoriums. 
To  any  one  studying  the  dangers  of  fire  in  public  school 
buildings,  the  location  and  plan  of  the  auditorium  assume  great 
importance,  because  when  this  room  is  in  use  it  means  that  a  large 
number  of  people  are  confined  within  a  comparatively  small 
space.  If  an  alarm  of  fire  is  given  they  usually  try  to  leave  with 
the  utmost  rapidity  and  by  the  same  exit.  Where  public  enter- 
tainments are  held  and  visitors  are  allowed  in  the  auditorium  the 
danger  becomes  even  more  serious,  because  of  the  fact  that 
visitors  are  not  acquainted  with  the  general  plan  of  the  building 
and  thus  may  find  it  more  difficult  to  find  exit  in  case  of  an  alarm. 
So  important  has  the  matter  of  securing  rapid  exit  from  the 
auditorium  become  that  reputable  school  architects  are  everywhere 
laying  down  the  proposition  that  auditoriums  must  be  located 
on  the  ground  floor  and,  moreover,  must  be  provided  with  exits 
leading  directly  outdoors  so  that  the  auditorium  may  be  cleared 
without  causing  the  audience  to  pass  through  other  parts  of  the 
building. 


130  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

The  only  school  in  Brookline  where  the  auditorium  is  located 
on  the  first  floor  is  the  Devotion  Grammar  School.  The  exit  doors 
of  this  auditorium  open  directly  upon  the  main  corridor  opposite 
a  small  flight  of  stairs  which  leads  to  the  front  doorway.  From 
the  point  of  view  of  fire  and  panic  protection  the  building  could 
have  been  improved  by  placing  one  or  two  exit  doors  at  the  end 
of  the  auditorium  plainly  marked,  provided  with  panic  bolts,  and 
leading  directly  to  the  outer  air.  Because  it  is  on  the  first  floor, 
however^  and  because  the  main  entrance  is  directly  opposite  the 
auditorium  entrance,  the  Devotion  auditorium  probably  presents 
little  real  danger. 

This  is  not  true  of  some  of  the  other  auditoriums  in  Brookline. 
At  the  Runkle,  Heath  and  Lawrence  Schools  the  auditorium  is 
on  the  second  floor  instead  of  on  the  first.  Indeed,  at  the  Lawrence 
School  it  might  almost  be  called  on  the  third  floor,  since  at  the 
back  of  the  building  the  basement  is  entirely  above  the  ground 
level.  At  the  DriscoU  School  the  second  floor  corridor  has  been 
made  into  a  temporary  auditorium.  At  the  Pierce  and  Lincoln 
Schools  the  auditorium  is  on  the  third  floor.  At  the  Heath  School 
the  fact  that  there  are  fireproof  vertical  partitions  on  every  floor, 
which  make  it  possible  to  shut  off  one  part  of  the  building  if  fire 
is  discovered  there,  renders  the  use  of  a  second  floor  auditorium 
considerably  safer  than  would  otherwise  be  the  case.  With  the 
possible  exception  of  the  Heath  School,  no  one  of  the  auditoriums 
here  listed  is  properly  provided  with  safe  and  ample  exits  in  case 
of  an  alarm  of  fire. 

It  is  apparently  not  the  custom  in  Brookline  to  make  full  use 
of  the  auditorium,  and  regrettable  as  this  may  be  from  the  point 
of  view  of  teaching  method,  from  the  point  of  view  of  fire  protec- 
tion it  may  be  laid  down  as  a  safe  proposition  that  so  long  as  audi- 
toriums above  the  first  floor  remain  unprovided  with  special 
fireproof  exits  their  use  during  more  than  a  small  portion  of  the 
day  or  by  very  large  groups  of  people  should  be  discouraged. 
Summary  and  Recommendations. 

1.  The  Devotion  grammar  is  the  only  school  in  Brookline 
where  the  auditorium  is  properly  located  on  the  ground  floor. 


School  Buildings  and  Equipment  131 

2.  Auditoriums  in  new  buildings  should  be  located  on  the 
first  floor  and  provided  with  direct  exits. 

3.  The  Runkle,  Lawrence,  Pierce  and  Lincoln  Schools  should 
either  avoid  using  the  auditoriums  for  large  or  frequent  gather- 
ings, or  else  provide  outside  fireproof  stairways  of  good  stair  type 
so  that  the  hall  may  be  emptied  without  using  the  main  part  of 
the  building. 

4.  Care  should  be  taken  at  the  Driscoll  building  to  leave  a 
clear  space  down  the  second  floor  corridor,  so  that  chairs  will  not 
hinder  classes  from  rapidly  reaching  the  stairway.  The  use  of  a 
corridor  for  assembly  exercises  is  not  to  be  commended. 

Cooking  Rooms. 
At  the  Devotion,  Lincoln  and  Pierce  Grammar  Schools  the 
Cooking  room  is  on  the  top  floor.  At  the  Devotion  School  the 
coal  stove  is  properly  set  on  a  tile  base,  while  the  wall  behind  is 
covered  with  tile;  but  on  the  same  floor  is  a  fuel  bin  for  the  use 
of  the  Domestic  Science  classes  which  is  composed  of  wood  and  is 
entirely  unprotected  from  the  wooden  floor,  wall  and  rafters  of 
the  rest  of  the  attic.  At  the  Pierce  School  most  of  the  attic  is 
finished,  but  there  are  certain  unfinished  rooms  used  for  storage 
purposes.  The  stove  in  the  Domestic  Science  room  is  set  on  a 
tile  base,  but  the  wall  two  feet  behind  is  not  protected,  A  wooden 
bin  for  the  storage  of  coal  and  wood  used  for  the  Domestic  classes 
is  built  upon  the  wooden  floor  of  the  attic,  and  is  without  any 
protection. 

Recommendations. 

All  w^ooden  bins  now  in  use  should  be  replaced  by  fireproof 
fuel  bins  with  self-closing  doors  or  covers.  Otherwise  a  match 
carelessly  thrown  may  result  in  a  conflagration. 

Stairs. 
Properly   constructed   stairways   rank   only   second   in   im- 
portance to  a  properly  isolated  heating  plant.     Isolation  of  the 
heating    plant    prevents    fires    from    spreading.     Properly    built 
stairways  insure  safe  exit  for  children  in  case  of  panic  or  fire.     In 


132  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

an  emergency,  when  people  are  frightened,  they  try  to  escape  by 
the  stairways  they  commonly  use.  At  Collinwood,  O.,  where, 
in  1908,  173  children  and  two  teachers  lost  their  hves,  fire  escapes 
were  attached  to  the  building,  but  when  the  smoke  came  rolling 
up  the  open  stairway  teachers  and  children  forgot  about  the  fire 
escapes  because  they  were  not  in  the  habit  of  using  them.  Instead 
they  tried  to  rush  down  the  stairways,  and  because  the  stairways 
were  wrongly  built  and  led  to  exits  which  were  improperly  planned, 
a  horrible  tragedy  resulted. 

Properly  built  stairs  make  the  best  fire  escapes,  and  if  stair- 
ways actually  follow  the  most  approved  standards  outside 
fire  escapes  are  not  necessary.  Stairs  should  be  placed  at  oppo- 
site ends  of  the  building,  so  that  if  one  is  blocked  exit  can  be  had 
by  means  of  the  other.  In  large  buildings  stairways  should  be 
added  in  proportion  to  the  number  of  children  housed. 

Fireproof,  Panic-Proof  Stairs. 

If  a  stairway  is  to  be  fireproof  and  panic-proof,  it  should  be 
built  in  a  stair  tower  of  its  own,  with  fireproof  walls  and  doors 
cutting  it  off  from  the  rest  of  the  building.  Doors  should  be  made 
of  metal  and  wire  glass  and  arranged  to  swing  closed  when  not 
actually  in  use.  Treads,  risers  and  supports  should  all  be  of  fire- 
proof material.  The  stairway  siiould  lead  from  the  ground  floor 
to  the  top  of  the  building  and  open  directly  to  the  outer  air  at  the 
foot. 

Stairways  should  be  not  less  than  four  feet  or  more  than  five 
feet  wide.  This  width  makes  it  possible  for  two  fines  of  children 
to  pass  down  the  stairways  at  the  same  time,  one  on  each  side, 
without  leaving  room  for  a  third  fine  of  children  to  break  through 
down  the  center.  Handrails  should  be  placed  on  each  side  and 
continue  unbroken  up  the  stairways  and  around  the  landings. 
Risers  should  be  six  and  a  half  or  seven  inches  high  and  treads 
about  13  inches  deep.  No  wedge  steps  should  be  allowed 
anywhere  in  the  school  building.  Landings  should  be  fiat  and 
unbroken  by  steps.  No  statues  or  potted  plants  should  be  al- 
lowed on  these  landings;  nor  should  there  be  corners  into  which 
smaller  children  might  be  pushed.     Instead,  landings  should  be 


School  Buildings  and  Equipment  133 

rounded  so  that  in  case  of  a  panic  children  would  be  carried  on 
with  the  others  instead  of  being  crushed  to  one  side. 

The  space  underneath  the  stairway  must  be  kept  clear.  There 
should  be  no  storage  closets  for  books  or  janitor's  supplies,  under 
the  stairway,  nor  should  the  space  be  utilized  for  hanging  chil- 
dren's wraps.  Stairways  should  lead  directly  outdoors  and  be  so 
arranged  that  a  hne  drawn  down  the  center  of  the  last  flight  of 
steps  can  be  projected  directly  through  the  center  of  the  doorway ; 
that  is,  as  children  come  down  the  final  flight  of  stairs  they  should 
not  have  to  turn  before  reaching  the  door. 

In  Brookline  the  wddth  of  stairs  ranges  from  four  feet  two 
inches  to  six  feet,  while  the  average  is  close  to  four  and  a  half 
feet.  Risers  are  eight  inches  high  and  treads  13  inches  deep.  The 
stairs  of  the  DriscoU,  Devotion  Primary,  Devotion  Intermedi- 
ate and  Pierce  Grammar  Schools  are  all  somewhat  too  wide. 


Handrails. 

While  in  most  of  the  Brookline  buildings  handrails  are  sup- 
plied on  both  sides  of  the  stairways,  in  the  Runkle  primary,  Lin- 
coln primary  and  Parsons  Schools,  however,  there  are  stairways 
where  the  handrail  is  on  one  side  only.  These  three  schools  are 
intended  for  small  children  who  particularly  need  handrail  sup- 
port.    A  second  rail  should  be  installed  at  once. 

In  13  Brookline  buildings,  for  which  notes  were  taken,  four 
provide  railings  around  landings,  while  nine  omit  them  entirely. 
Ordinarily,  when  school  children  are  passing  up  and  down 
stairs,  they  should  not  be  encouraged  to  make  use  of  the  handrail. 
The  rail  is  installed  so  that  in  case  of  a  panic  if  children  at  the  rear 
of  the  line  have  a  tendency  to  push  forward,  those  in  front  may 
be  kept  from  falling  by  catching  hold  of  the  rail  at  the  side.  Dur- 
ing panic,  landings  become  particularly  dangerous  because  they 
are  usually  wider  than  the  main  stairway,  so  that  if  children  are 
frightened  they  find  opportunity  on  the  landing  to  break  through 
the  hne  in  an  endeavor  to  get  ahead  of  the  children  who  have 
preceded  them.  Handrail  supports  on  all  stair  landings  are  a 
necessary  precaution  against  panic.     Rails  should  be  installed  on 


134  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

the  landings  of  the  Driscoll,  Devotion,  Pierce,  Longwood,  Sewall 
and  Lawrence  Schools. 

Landings. 

Since  the  first  landing  of  the  main  stairway  is  usually  visible 
from  the  entrance,  principals  and  teachers  are  apt  to  use  this 
space  for  pieces  of  statuary,  banks  of  ferns  and  the  Uke.  The 
artistic  effect  secured  is  undeniably  good,  but  the  practice  is, 
nevertheless,  dangerous.  For  example,  on  the  first  landing  of 
one  of  the  stairways  at  the  Lawrence  School  there  is  a  large 
statue  placed  in  one  corner.  The  fire  escape  is  so  dangerous  that 
the  principal  will  not  let  the  younger  children  touch  foot  upon  it. 
The  cellar  stairs  lead  directly  to  the  main  stairs  without  satis- 
factory cut-offs.  In  view  of  all  these  facts,  it  is  distinctly  unwise 
further  to  limit  the  capacity  and  safety  of  the  Lawrence  stairs  by 
placing  obstructions  upon  the  landings. 

There  are  two  ways  of  placing  statuary  in  halls  and  upon 
landings  so  that  it  may  add  to  the  artistic  appearance  of  the  build- 
ing and  yet  not  hamper  rapid  exit.  The  first  is  to  place  all  decora- 
tions upon  the  walls  at  the  height  of  at  least  five  feet  from  the 
floor  so  that  children  may  pass  beneath  them.  The  other  method 
is  to  build  a  small  alcove  in  which  the  statue  may  be  placed  so  that 
it  will  be  flush  with  the  wall  surface.  Where  landings  are  very 
wide,  one  corner  may  be  utiKzed  for  the  placing  of  a  statue,  if 
precautions  are  taken  to  place  one  or  more  heavy  horizontal  rails 
about  two  and  one-half  feet  high  across  that  corner.  Such  hori- 
zontal bars  are  known  as  cut-offs  and  should  be  used  on  ah  land- 
ings with  square  corners,  into  which  there  is  danger  that  small 
children  may  be  pushed  in  time  of  panic.  In  aU  buildings  where 
it  is  impossible  to  remodel  landings  by  giving  them  rounded  cor- 
ners a  single  stout  bar  placed  horizontally  at  a  distance  of  two  and 
a  half  feet  from  the  floor  across  each  corner  will  form  a  satisfactory 
substitute.  The  statues  at  the  Devotion  intermediate  and  Law- 
rence Sctuools  should  either  be  entirely  removed  from  the  landing 
or  else  cut  ofl'  by  such  horizontal  bars.  Small  cut-offs  are  also 
needed  on  the  stair  landings  of  the  Driscofl,  Devotion  primary. 
Pierce  grammar,  Lincoln  primary  and  Sewall  Schools. 


School  Buildings  and  Equipment  135 

Summary  and  Recommendations. 

1.  There  is  no  completely  fireproof,  panic-proof  stairway  in 
any  Brookline  school  building.  Most  of  the  stairs  are  of  wood; 
they  are  not  separated  from  the  rest  of  the  building;  they  do  not 
lead  directly  to  the  main  exit,  and  their  landings  need  cut-offs 
and  handrails. 

2.  The  worst  stair  conditions  occur  in  the  Lincoln,  Sewall, 
Parsons,  and  Lawrence  buildings,  which,  if  the  recommendations 
of  this  report  are  followed,  will  be  vacated  as  soon  as  a  new  build- 
ing can  be  erected. 

3.  In  buildings  which  are  to  be  continued  in  use,  steps  should 
be  taken  immediately  to  replace  all  wooden  stairways  with  others 
of  fireproof  materiaj.  Where  the  construction  of  the  building 
will  allow  it  these  stairways  should  be  enclosed  in  fireproof  parti- 
tions, and  made  to  lead  directly  to  the  open  air.  Money  spent 
for  safe  stairways  is  a  form  of  life  insurance  which  Brookhne 
parents  should  be  glad  to  give  their  children. 

Exits. 

Hardly  less  important  than  the  stairway  itself  is  the  exit 
to  which  it  leads.  Most  of  the  loss  of  life  at  the  ColUnwood 
fire  occurred  between  the  inner  and  outer  doors  of  one  of  the 
vestibules.  Inexpensive  changes  which  could  have  been  made 
by  ah  ordinary  carpenter  in  the  course  of  a  day's  work  would 
have  saved  literally  scores  of  lives.  One  of  the  most  important 
features  of  a  good  exit  has  already  been  mentioned  in  the  para- 
graph deahng  with  stairways;  that  is,  that  a  fine  drawn  down  the 
center  of  the  stairway  when  projected  should  pass  straight  through 
the  center  of  the  exit.  Descending  files  of  children  should  not 
be  deflected  either  to  right  or  left. 

If  there  is  a  vestibule  it  should  either  have  a  perfectly  flat 
floor  or  a  flight  of  four  or  more  steps.  Where  one  or  two  steps 
are  in  the  center  of  the  vestibule,  children  are  apt  to  forget  them 
and  stumble.  Where  steps  occur  within  the  vestibule  or  outside 
the  main  doorway  they  should  be  preceded  by  a  platform  which 
is  at  least  as  wide  as  the  arc  of  the  swinging  door.     Serious  ac- 


136  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

cidents  may  result  from  steps  which,  because  they  are  placed  too 
near  a  doorway,  are  not  seen  by  persons  hurrying  through.  It  is 
strongly  desirable  that  all  outside  doors  be  fitted  with  panels  of 
wire  glass,  so  that  when  small  children  are  standing  on  the 
threshold  their  shadows  may  be  visible  through  the  glass.  This 
simple  precaution  will  save  many  children  from  being  pushed 
down  by  the  hurried  opening  of  doors. 

Single  doors  are  better  than  double  doors.  Where  the 
entrance  is  wide  and  many  children  must  use  it  the  most  desirable 
plan  is  a  series  of  single  doors,  each  set  in  its  own  frame.  Doors 
of  this  type  have  been  widely  adopted  by  pubhc  railroad  stations 
because  it  has  been  found  that  they  are  the  most  efficient  for  hand- 
ling large  numbers  of  rapidly  moving  people.  If  double  doors 
are  used  they  should  be  made  so  that  both  sides  swing  open 
when  the  door  is  unfastened  from  the  inside.  If  only  one  side 
swings  free  when  the  handle  is  turned  or  lock  pushed  the  avail- 
able exit  space  is  cut  in  half.  Worse  thaii  that,  a  dangerous 
-corner  is  created  where  in  case  of  panic  small  children  would  be 
-crushed  and  caught.  At  the  time  of  the  CoUinwood  fire  that  is 
exactly  what  happened. 

As  is  true  in  most  of  the  Brookline  schools,  the  exit  doors 
at  CoUinwood  did  not  extend  for  the  complete  width  of  the 
vestibule.  At  each  side  of  the  doorway  there  was  a  vacant 
space  forming  a  sort  of  alcove.  When  the  alarm  of  fire  was  first 
given  children  in  the  first  grades  escaped  but  dashed  back  into 
the  building  in  a  search  for  their  coats  and  hats.  As  they  were 
ooming  in  children  from  the  upper  grades  came  rushing  down 
the  stairways  and  the  two  lines  met.  Some  one  fell.  The  fallen 
<;hild  formed  an  obstacle  over  which  others  stumbled,  and  in  a 
few  seconds  the  alcoves  at  each  side  of  the  vestibules  were  filled 
with  strugghng  children.  There  they  piled,  one  on  top  of  the 
other,  packed  so  tightly  that  it  was  impossible  for  the  parents 
and  relatives  outside  to  open  the  doors.  It  is  said  that  after 
the  fire  was  over  children's  bodies  were  found  actually  touching 
the  ceiling  of  the  vestibule.  Even  when  one  side  of  the  doorway 
was  opened,  they  were  packed  so  closely  that  it  was  impossible 
to  pull  them  out  to  safety. 


School  Buildings  and  Equipment  137 

After  studying  the  plans  of  the  Collinwood  School  and 
speaking  with  those  who  were  present  at  the  time  of  the  fire, 
the  matter  of  correct  stairs  and  vestibules  assumes  tremendous 
importance.  Doors  should  extend  for  the  full  width  of  the 
vestibule  opening,  so  that  no  dangerous  corners  are  left  at  either 
side.  They  should  be  arranged  so  that  no  child  can  possibly 
be  locked  in.  Locks  should  work  from  the  outside  only.  Each 
door  should  be  equipped  with  a  panic  bar  so  arranged  that  when 
the  weight  of  the  child  is  thrown  against  the  bar  both  sides  of 
the  doorways  will  swing  open. 

Brookline  Exits. 

Very  few  of  the  exits  in  Brookline  are  directly  opposite  the 
center  of  the  stairway.  Little  can  be  done  in  remedying  this 
matter  in  old  buildings,  but  any  plans  for  new  buildings  should 
be  carefully  inspected  upon  this  point.  In  several  cases  there 
are  steps  in  the  vestibule,  and  it  is  usually  true  that  these  steps 
are  either  too  few  in  number  to  be  safe  or  are  placed  too  near 
the  inside  doors. 

Very  rarely  does  the  doorway  include  the  entire  width  of 
the  vestibule.  Dangerous  alcoves  similar  to  those  which  caused 
the  loss  of  life  at  the  Colhnwood  School  exist  at  the  Runkle 
primary,  Runkle  grammar.  Pierce  primary.  Pierce  grammar, 
Longwood,  and  Cabot  Schools.  In  most  cases  these  vestibules 
can  be  made  safe  by  placing  planks  horizontally  at  a  distance  of 
two  and  a  half  feet  from  the  floor  across  each  alcove  as  was  sug- 
gested in  the  paragraph  deahng  with  dangerous  corners  on  stair 
landings. 

In  the  basement  of  the  Pierce  Grammar  School  there  is  at 
one  end  a  flight  of  nine  steps  about  14  feet  wide  leading  to  an 
outside  doorway.  The  inner  doorway  of  the  vestibule  occupies 
about  one-third  of  the  stair  width.  The  outer  doorway  is  moved 
to  the  left,  so  that  hues  must  pass  through  the  vestibule  at  an 
angle.  Deep  alcoves  are  formed  within  the  vestibule  and  danger- 
ous corners  at  the  head  of  the  ascending  stairs  by  the  vestibule 
partition  and  the  two  doorways.  Practically  two-thirds  of  the 
width  of  the  stairway  is  of  no  value,  since  children  ascending 


138  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

at  either  side  must  go  toward  the  middle  before  they  can  get  out. 
By  a  few  simple  changes  this  entrance  could  be  greatly  improved. 
The  two  vestibule  doors  should  be  made  opposite  each  other. 
Dangerous  corners  which  remain  should  be  barred  off,  and  hand- 
rails set  five  feet  apart  down  the  stairway  directly  opposite  the 
doors.  The  rest  of  the  stairway,  to  the  right  and  left  of  the 
center,  should  be  shut  off,  so  that  children  could  not  be  caught 
there  in  case  of  panic. 

Bolts  and  Bars. 

All  of  the  doors  in  Brookline  swing  out,  except  the  inner 
vestibule  doors  of  the  Driscoll  School.  These  doors  swing  in 
and  should,  therefore,  be  kept  open  and  fastened  back  against 
the  wall  during  school  hours.  Almost  all  of  the  doors  are  double. 
They  are  commonly  fastened  with  a  latch,  or  by  a  knob  on  one 
side  and  a  handle  on  the  other  which  is  connected  ^vith  bolts  at 
the  top  and  bottom.  By  turning  the  handle  these  bolts  are 
drawn.  It  is  a  common  practice  to  open  only  one  side  of  these 
doorways,  since  in  order  to  have  both  sides  swing  out  special 
manipulations  are  necessary.  The  side  to  the  right  \vill  usually 
open  easily,  although  at  the  Lincoln  and  Parsons  Schools  the 
Surveyor  had  difficulty  in  opening  even  that  side.  For  a  small 
and  frightened  child  it  might  have  been  impossible  in  those 
schools  to  get  out.  In  several  cases  it  took  a  considerable  amount 
of  effort  to  open  both  wings  of  the  doorway. 

On  certain  doors  at  the  Driscoll  and  Devotion  Schools  panic 
bolts  have  been  installed.  These  are  bars  placed  across  the  inner 
surface  of  the  door  and  so  arranged  that  weight  resting  on  any 
part  serves  to  draw  the  bolt  and  leave  the  door  free.  The  value 
of  these  panic  bars  when  properly  placed  is  immense,  but  in 
neither  the  Driscoll  nor  Devotion  Schools  is  it  a  real  improve- 
ment on  the  other  type  of  fastening  because  the  bar  is  placed 
only  on  one  side  of  the  doorway,  and  the  other  wing  of  the  door 
blocks  action  so  that  the  panic  bolt  cannot  work  properly.  At 
the  Driscoll  and  Devotion  Schools  the  Survey  visitor  had  serious 
difficulty  in  getting  out  of  the  doorways  closed  by  these  panic 
bolts.     In  fact,  at  the  Devotion  School,  at  two  diiferent  visits 


School  Buildings  and  Equipment  139 

she  found  it  impossible  to  get  out  of  the  main  entrance  and  was 
obliged  to  use  an  exit  at  th6  back.  Every  school  ought  to  be 
equipped  with  panic  bolts  on  its  outside  doors,  but  these  bolts 
should  be  so  arranged  that  thej^  will  work. 

Summary  and  Recommendations. 

The  exits  in  the  Brookhne  schools  show  the  same  defects 
which  led  to  most  of  the  loss  of  Ufe  at  the  CoUinwood  fire.  At 
ColUnwood  the  stairs  were  slightly  to  one  side  of  the  entrance; 
so  are  most  of  those  in  Brookhne.  In  the  CoUinwood  School 
alcoves  were  left  unbarred  at  each  side  of  the  vestibule;  similar 
alcoves  are  found  in  most  of  the  Brookhne  schools.  At  CoUin- 
wood doors  were  double  and  swung  outward,  one  side  was  bolted. 
In  most  of  the  Brookhne  schools  doors  are  double  and  swing  out- 
ward, and  one  side  is  bolted. 

If  the  danger  of  accident  is  to  be  avoided  dangerous  corners 
must  be  cut  off,  glass  panels  inserted  in  outer  doors,  and  panic 
bolts  supphed  and  adjusted  on  each  wing  of  the  door  in  such  a 
way  that  pressure  on  any  part  of  the  bar  will  make  the  door 
swing  open.     These  changes  should  be  made  at  once. 

Fire  Escapes. 

Three  fire  escapes  are  found  on  Brookhne  elementary  schools. 
At  the  Longwood  School  a  wooden  stairway  enclosed  in  wooden 
walls  leads  from  one  of  the  rooms  on  the  second  floor  directly 
outdoors.  In  case  of  fire  children  might  succeed  in  escaping 
by  this  stairway  providing  it  did  not  itself  catch  fire  first. 

At  the  Lincoln  annex  in  the  back  there  is  a  metal  fire  escape 
which  connects  with  two  rooms  on  the  third  floor  which  are  not 
now  used  and  two  classrooms  on  the  second  floor.  It  has  no 
connection  with  those  on  the  first  floor.  Access  from  the  second 
and  third  floors  is  gained  by  crawhng  through  the  window.  There 
is  no  full  length  opening.  Treads  and  framework  are  of  metal 
lattice,  without  risers.  The  stairway  is  within  two  feet  of  the 
main  wall  and  passes  directly  in  front  of  window  openings.  If 
there  were  a  fire  children  would  probably  be  afraid  to  descend 
this  fire  escape  because  it  gives  an  impression  of  instability. 


140  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

Moreover,  as  it  ends  five  feet  from  the  ground  there  would  be  an 
immediate  blockade  on  the  stairway  unless  adults  were  at  the 
foot  to  lift  the  children  off.  If  the  annex  were  on  fire,  in  all  proba- 
bility the  escape  would  be  wrapped  in  flames  breaking  through 
the  windows  before  the  children  could  reach  the  ground.  More- 
over, it  is  readily  accessible  to  only  two  of  the  22  classrooms  in 
the  Lincoln  building.  The  janitor  reports  that  he  has  never 
seen  the  fire  escape  used  and  that  he  would  not  care  to  try  to  go 
down  it.  The  principal  says  that  he  himself  has  tried  the  fire 
escape,  but  he  does  not  want  the  children  to  use  it  since  he  con- 
siders it  almost  as  dangerous  as  a  fire.     He  is  probably  right. 

At  the  back  of  the  Lawrence  School  there  is  a  fire  escape 
leading  from  the  assembly  room.  Because  of  the  fact  that  the 
basement  is  well  above  the  ground  level  at  the  back  of  the  Law- 
rence School  the  landing  on  the  fire  escape  is  really  three  stories 
high,  but  there  is  no  connection  with  the  fire  escape  for  rooms 
on  the  second  story.  The  fire  escape  opens  from  the  assembly 
room  by  a  full  length  door  which  is  hinged  in  the  middle.  The 
Surveyor  opened  one  side  of  this  door  with  difficulty,  but  had  to 
struggle  in  order  to  pull  the  bolt  at  the  middle  which  holds  the 
other  half  of  the  door.  The  door  had  caught  at  the  bottom 
and  was  exceedingly  difficult  to  open.  The  escape  itself  is  of 
iron  with  treads  made  of  slats  and  without  closed  risers.  It  is 
so  close  to  the  building  that  it  would  easily  be  wrapped  in  flames 
if  fire  broke  out.  Steps  reach  to  the  ground.  The  principal 
says  that  children  in  the  ninth  grade  have  tried  the  fire  escape, 
but  that  he  considers  it  too  dangerous  for  the  use  of  smaller 
children  in  his  school. 

Most  of  the  buildings  in  Brookline  are  not  fireproof  and, 
while  some  of  them  are  of  the  so-called  slow  burning  construc- 
tion, several  buildings  are  veritable  fire  traps  and  in  most  of  them 
the  possibility  of  fire,  smoke,  and  resulting  panic  is  seriously 
large.  Safety  is  not  secured  by  putting  up  fire  escapes  such  as 
those  placed  on  the  Lincoln  and  Lawrence  Schools.  Such  escapes 
are  almost  worse  than  none,  since  they  may  possibly  lull  some  of 
the  teachers  into  a  feehng  of  false  security. 


School  Buildings  and  Equipment  141 

If  metal  fire  escapes  are  used  certain  rules  should  be  followed. 
In  the  first  place,  the  fire  escape  should  lead  to  the  roof  and  to 
the  ground.  It  should  lead  to  the  roof  so  that  firemen  can  readily 
gain  access  there.  It  should  lead  to  the  ground  so  that  children 
can  readily  escape.  On  each  side  of  the  fire  escape  there  should 
be  a  high  protecting  wall  of  wire  or  metal  slats  so  that  children 
will  feel  safe  in  going  up  and  down.  It  is  a  simple  matter  to  place 
a  door  at  the  bottom  fastened  with  a  regular  latch,  and  to  cut 
the  knob  off  on  the  outside.  This  makes  it  possible  to  open  the 
door  from  the  inside  by  turning  the  handle,  but  prevents  sneak 
thieves  from  gaining  access  to  the  building  by  opening  the  door 
from  the  outside  and  climbing  the  fire  escape. 

Entrance  from  classrooms  should  be  by  means  of  full-length 
doors  with  glass  panels  so  that  they  may  serve  also  as  windows- 
The  doors  should  open  direct^  to  the  floor  level  and  children 
should  be  able  to  walk  quietly  out  of  the  classroom  on  to  the 
fire  escape  as  naturally  as  they  walk  into  the  main  corridor.. 
Every  classroom  in  a  non-fireproof  building  should  have  access 
either  directly  to  a  fire  escape  or  to  a  fire  escape  by  going  through 
not  more  than  one  other  adjoining  room. 

Metal  fire  escapes  should  be  set  well  out  from  the  building 
for  a  distance  of  at  least  15  feet,  so  that  in  case  flames  break 
out  the  windows,  as  is  likely  to  occur,  they  will  not  immediately 
wrap  around  the  fire  escape.  For  a  similar  reason  whenever 
possible  placing  the  fire  escape  across  other  windows  of  the  build- 
ing should  be  avoided.  Wedge-shaped  steps  such  as  are  used  in 
the  fire  escape  of  the  Manual  Training  building  should  not  be 
tolerated.  Treads  and  risers  should  be  of  metal  slats  placed  close 
together  so  that  children  will  not  become  dizzy  as  they  walk 
down.  Handrails  should  be  placed  at  each  side  and  should  con- 
tinue from  the  top  to  the  ground.  There  should  be  no  holes  in 
the  platforms  where  children  climb  through;  rather,  the  landing 
of  a  fire  escape  should  be  constructed  on  the  same  plan  as  that 
of  a  regular  school  stairway. 

Fire  escapes  constructed  in  this  way  are  safe  but  unsightly. 
If  the  stairs  within  the  building  were  really  of  the  best  modern 
type  outside  escapes  would  not  be  necessary.     If  the  inside  stair- 


142  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

ways  cannot  be  properly  remade  one  of  the  best  means  of  securing 
safe  exit  is  by  building  fireproof  towers  at  each  end  of  the  build- 
ing, and  placing  in  each  a  fireproof  stairway  of  the  standard 
school  type.     Properly  built  stairs  make  the  best  fire  escapes. 

Summary  and  Recommendation. 

In  spite  of  the  fact  that  most  of  the  buildings  present  danger- 
ous possibilities  in  case  of  fire  there  is  not  one  good  fire  escape 
in  the  Brookline  system.  In  only  three  elementary  schools  is 
there  even  an  attempt  to  provide  an  outside  fire  escape,  and 
each  of  these  is  improperly  constructed.  It  is  strongly  recom- 
mended that  adequate  fire  escapes  of  the  most  approved  modern 
type,  easily  accessible  from  every  classroom  above  the  first  floor, 
be  installed  on  every  Brookline  building  which  is  not  of  complete 
fireproof  construction. 

Fire  Extinguishers  and  Alarms. 

Every  elementary  school  in  Brookline  is  well  equipped  with 
chemical  extinguishers.  These  are  usually  placed,  one  or  more 
in  the  basement  near  the  heating  apparatus  and  one  or  more 
on  each  floor.  The  chemical  extinguisher  is  an  excellent  means 
of  controlling  flames,  and  Brookline  is  wise  in  supplying  them 
so  freely.  Hose  is  found  in  one  or  two  cases.  There  are  no 
fire  pails,  and  no  automatic  sprinklers  in  the  basements. 

At  every  visit  the  Survey  visitor  asked  the  janitor  (and  where 
possible  also  asked  the  principal)  where  the  fire  alarm  was  situated 
and  what  action  would  be  taken  in  case  fire  were  discovered. 
Almost  uniformly  surprise  was  shown  at  this  question.  In  most 
of  the  schools  the  suggestion  that  an  alarm  box  should  be  estab- 
lished in  every  building  which  would  give  notice  directly  to  fire 
headquarters  was  received  with  an  air  of  somewhat  tolerant 
amusement.  In  more  than  one  case  there  seemed  to  be  an  im- 
pression that  fires  in  school  buildings  were  very  rare  and  need 
not  be  worried  about. 

In  most  of  the  grammar  schools  there  is  private  telephone 
connection  with  the  general  school  offices.  At  the  DriscoU 
grammar  the  telephone  is  on  the  public  line;  it  would  be  possible, 


School  Buildings  and  Equipment  143 

therefore,  for  Driscoll  to  telephone  direct  to  headquarters.  The 
other  grammar  schools  would  be  obliged  to  send  word  to  the 
main  office  and  trust  that  some  one  there  would  then  send  word 
to  the  fire  engine  house.  In  none  of  the  primary  schools,  except 
the  Pierce  primary,  where  there  is  a  telephone,  is  there  any  means 
of  giving  an  alarm. 

There  is  a  serious  lack  of  comprehension  in  Brookline  of 
the  value  of  time  in  case  of  an  emergency.  It  is  literally  true 
that  five  minutes  lost  may  mean  that  flames  will  gain  such  head- 
way that  they  cannot  be  controlled.  Fire  frequently  spreads 
with  perfectly  amazing  rapidity.  In  such  large  buildings  as  the 
Runkle,  Devotion,  and  Lincoln  Schools,  if  fire  were  discoyered 
at  one  end,  the  time  taken  to  run  through  the  various  sections 
until  the  telephone  could  be  reached  might  well  result  in  a  total 
loss  of  the  building.  Moreover,  where  word  must  be  sent  by  a 
private  telephone  delays  are  almost  inevitable.  Officials  in  the 
central  office  do  not  always  hurry  to  answer  the  telephone,  and 
they  cannot  know  the  importance  of  the  call.  If  fire  should  occur 
outside  of  office  hours  it  might  be  impossible  to  get  any  answer 
at  all. 

At  the  Lawrence  School  the  Surveyor  was  told  that  there 
was  no  need  of  a  special  alarm,  since  the  fire  box  was  directly  in 
front  of  the  building.  At  the  Longwood  there  was  in  evidence 
a  feeUng  of  security  because  the  fire  engine  house  was  just  around 
the  corner.  But  if  children  are  in  a  building  and  a  fire  is  dis- 
covered, there  is  no  time  to  run  outdoors  and  tell  some  one  else 
about  it.  It  should  be  possible  to  ring  in  an  alarm  from  every 
floor  in  every  school  building.  There  should  be  an  alarm  box 
in  the  basement,  one  on  the  first  floor,  one  on  the  second,  one  in 
the  principal's  office.  These  alarms  should  be  so  arranged  that 
by  simply  breaking  the  glass  or  pressing  a  button  an  alarm  would 
go  directly  to  the  nearest  fire  engine  house.  Quick  notification 
of  the  fire  department  is  one  of  the  most  important  elements 
in  safeguarding  the  lives  of  school  children. 


144  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

Summary  and  Recommendations. 

1.  Brookline  depends  upon  a  plentiful  supply  of  chemical 
extinguishers  in  order  to  protect  its  school  children.  This  measure 
is  wise,  but  does  not  go  far  enough. 

2.  A  special  fire  alarm  box  should  be  installed  in  e very- 
public  school.  No  provision  has  been  made  to  insure  that,  in 
case  of  fire,  warning  will  be  sent  without  more  than  a  minute's 
delay  direct  to  fire  headquarters.  Rehance  is  placed  for  the  most 
part  on  private  telephone  connections  with  the  School  Committee's 
oflSce,  or  on  sending  a  messenger  to  the  nearest  public  fire  alann 
box. 

Building  Regulations. 

Several  times  when  the  Surveyor  had  occasion  to  point  out 
defects  in  existing  buildings  she  was  told,  ''If  this  thing  were 
really  bad  the  building  inspector  would  have  ordered  us  to  change 
it." 

There  are  two  answers  which  might  be  made  to  such  an 
argum.ent:  The  first  is  that  legal  building  requirements  always 
represent  minimum  standards.  They  state  how  bad  a  school 
may  be  and  yet  be  permitted  to  stand.  The  community  which 
regards  the  0.  K.  of  the  building  inspector  as  a  certificate  of  merit 
is  only  slightly  higher  than  that  which  must  be  kept  decent  by 
force.     It  can  hardly  lay  claim  to  educational  respectabihty. 

In  the  second  place,  there  are  certain  standards  which 
have  recently  been  recognized  as  so  important  that  they  have 
been  crystallized  into  law.  '  Many  such  laws,  how^ever,  are  not 
retroactive.  They  do  not  apply  to  buildings  already  erected. 
Several  of  the  BrookUne  buildings  could  not  receive  even  the 
minim.um  pohce  sanction  were  they  being  built  today,  but  they 
are  allowed  to  stand  because  there  is  no  way  of  getting  rid  of  thorn. 

The  regulations  of  the  Massachusetts  District  Police  relating 
to  the  erection,  alteration,  and  inspection  of  schoolhouses  are  of 
two  types.  Certain  features  are  definitely  required.  Others 
are  made  mandatory  at  the  discretion  of  the  local  building  in- 


School  Buildings  and  Equipment  145 

specter.  Under  the  latter  ease  conditions  which  are  not  tolerated 
in  one  community  may  be  disregarded  in  another,  depending 
upon  who  makes  the  inspection.  The  follo\^dng  are  some  of  the 
features  required  bj-  the  Massachusetts  law^  which  should  be  of 
particular  interest  to  readers  of  this  report.  (A  star  indicates 
that  the  requirement  holds  for  buildings  erected  after  November 
1,  1913.  Two  stars  indicate  that  the  requirement  may  be  ex- 
tended to  existing  buildings  at  the  discretion  of  the  building 
inspector.) 

(a)  Unless  the  first  floor  of  the  school  building  is  of  fireproof 
or  mill  construction  basement  ceiUngs  shall  be  of  metal  lath  and 
hard  plaster. 

(h)  Corridors  shall  not  be  less  than  10  feet  in  width  in  the 
clear  for  buildings  of  eight  classrooms.  They  may  decrease 
one  foot  in  width  for  every  two  classrooms  less  than  eight,  and 
must  in(?rease  one  foot  in  width  for  every  two  classrooms  more 
than  eight.* 

(c)  Classroom  windows  shall  not  have  less  than  one  square 
foot  of  glass  to  each  five  square  feet  of  floor  area.** 

(d)  Stairways  shall  have  handrails  on  both  sides. 

(e)  Stairways  from  the  basement  to  the  first  story,  and  else- 
where if  so  directed,  shall  be  enclosed  with  fireproof  walls,  with 
fireproofed  self-closing  doors.* 

(/)  There  shall  be  not  less  than  three  risers  between  landings. 

(g)  No  winding  steps  shall  be  used. 

(h)  No  closets  shall  be  placed  under  any  stairs. 

{i)  Where  the  assembly  hall  is  above  the  second  story  there 
shall  be  one  or  more  stairways  from  the  assembly  hall.  These 
stairways  shall  be  enclosed  in  fireproof  or  fire-resisting  walls, 
and  shall  run  directly  to  and  connect  with  the  ground,  and  shall 
have  no  connection  with  any  other  part  of  the  building.** 

(j)  Exterior  vestibule  and  corridor  doors,  if  so  directed, 
shall  have  plate  glass  upper  panels. 

(fc)  No  boiler,  fuel,  storage  or  workrooms  shall  be  placed 
under  a  corridor,  stairway,  or  egress.** 

(1)  Where  so  directed  boiler,  fuel,  storage,  or  workrooms  shall 
be  enclosed  in  masonry  or  fireproof  walls,  with  fireproof  ceihngs. 


146  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

and  all  openings  in  the  walls  to  the  basement  shall  be  provided 
with  self-closing  fireproof  or  automatic  fire  doors. 

(m)  Steam,  hot  water,  electricity,  furnaces,  or  jacketed 
stoves  may  be  used  for  heating.  (The  unjacketed  stove  is  not 
included.) 

(n)  Each  sanitary  or  recreation  room  and  each  corridor 
shall  have  sinks  of  an  approved  size  or  an  approved  number  of 
lavatories. 

(o)  Where  suitable  water  supply  and  sewerage  are  not  avail- 
able approved  earth  closets  or  privies  and  urinal  trough  shall  be 
placed  upon  the  school  grounds  not  less  than  30  feet  from  the 
building. 

(p)  Fire  stops  shall  be  provided,  as  directed,  in  floors,  walls 
and  stairways,  and  if  partitions  around  stairs  are  not  of  brick, 
or  its  equivalent,  they  shall  be  filled  in  solid  between  the  studs 
and  plastered  with  cement  plaster  upon  metal  lath;  and  such 
further  means  throughout  the  building  as  may  be  necessary  to 
prevent  the  spread  of  fire  or  its  communication  from  any  steam 
boiler  or  heating  apparatus  therein  shall  be  provided.* 

These  are  the  minimum  regulations  of  Massachusetts,  laid 
down  by  the  District  Police  and  enforced  by  building  inspectors, 
so  that,  no  matter  how  poor  or  how  neghgent  a  town  may  be,  a 
certain  amount  of  protection  will  be  insured  to  its  children.  Even 
when  measured  by  these  standards,  Brookline  does  not  make  a 
worthy  showing. 

HIGH   SCHOOL. 

Location. 
The  high  school  is  located  on  one  side  of  a  square,  the  center 
of  which  is  occupied  by  a  large  public  playground.  Near  by  are 
the  Practical  Arts  High  School,  the  Bath  building  and  the  Pubhc 
Gymnasium.  Heating  and  lighting  for  all  four  buildings  are 
furnished  by  a  plant  in  the  basement  of  the  Practical  Arts  High 
School.  While  not  exactly  at  the  center  of  population,  the  loca- 
tion of  these  buildings  is  fairly  central  and  the  point  is  easily 
accessible  from  other  parts  of  town.  A  steam  railroad  runs  di- 
rectly parallel  with  one  side  of  the  square. 


School  Buildings  and  Equipment  147 

The  high  school  building  is  so  situated  that  most  of  the  class- 
rooms on  one  side  receive  sun  from  the  east  and  south  during  a 
greater  part  of  the  morning  session.  Back  of  the  building  is 
rising  ground  with  a  few  trees  so  situated  that  they  cut  off  hght 
from  several  of  the  classrooms.  The  orientation  of  the  building 
is  such  that  many  of  the  classrooms  receive  too  much  sunlight, 
while  several  others  receive  too  little. 

Remodelling  the  Old  High  School  Building. 

The  old  high  school  buildinT^  was  erected  a  Uttle  over  20 
years  ago.  In  the  fall  of  1914  the  number  of  students  had  in- 
creased so  rapidly  that  they  could  not  be  properly  accommodated 
in  the  building  as  it  then  stood.  Accordingly,  the  School  Board 
drew  up  a  plan  involving  the  erection  of  a  new  assembly  hall  and 
an  addition  at  the  rear  of  the  present  building.  This  plan  was 
submitted  to  the  town  meeting,  but  was  not  adopted.  Instead,  a 
special  committee  of  seven  citizens  was  appointed  by  the  moderator 
for  a  further  study  of  the  question.  After  a  great  deal  of  careful 
work  this  committee  reported  a  plan  whereby  through  the  exten- 
sion of  the  assembly  hall  and  the  placing  of  partitions  across  the 
ends  of  corridors  and  down  the  center  of  classrooms,  additional 
class  space  might  be  secured  with  comparatively  little  expense,. 
The  plan  of  this  lay  committee  was  adopted  and  many  of  the 
proposed  changes  were  made.  Then,  as  citizens  realized  what  the 
new  plan  involved,  considerable  opposition  to  it  developed,  and 
finally  work  on  the  alterations  was  stopped  and  the  whole  matter 
referred  back  to  the  School  Committee.  When  it  was  decided 
to  have  a  School  Survey,  members  of  the  Survey  Staff  were  asked 
to  give  particular  attention  to  the  whole  high  school  building 
problem. 

Size  of  Rooms. 

•The  original  plan  of  the  old  building  provided  classrooms  at 
four  corners  and  along  the  front  of  the  building,  each  designed  to 
hold  50  students.  Most  high  school  classes,  however,  are  not 
larger  than  35,  and  many  cases  are  found  of  20,  15  or  10.  Archi- 
tects are  now  designing  new  high  school  buildings  with  rooms  of 
all  sizes  to  fit  these  varying  needs;  but  to  remodel  an  old  building 


148  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

with  huge  classrooms  is  an  exceedingly  difficult  matter.  It  is,  of 
course,  possible  almost  to  double  the  capacity  of  such  a  building 
simply  by  running  partitions  down  the  center  of  classrooms.  In 
the  present  building  at  Brookline,  for  example,  some  rooms 
designed  for  50  students  have  been  divided  to  make  two  almost 
square  rooms  for  35  pupils  each,  but  the  results  have  not  been 
altogether  fortunate.  In  one  room  when  the  door  swings  half 
open  it  blocks  one  of  the  aisles  so  that  children  could  not  escape 
by  that  means.  Windows  cannot  be  opened  from  the  bottom 
during  cold  weather  because  desks  are  placed  touching  the  wall, 
and  drafts  would  blow  against  the  necks  of  the  pupils. 

In  other  cases  the  changing  of  partitions  has  resulted  in 
rooms  which  are  very  long  and  narrow,  so  that  in  one  room,  at 
least,  students  seated  in  the  row  farthest  from  the  window  are 
32  feet  from  the  source  of  light.  There  is  now  in  the  high  school 
one  room  which  is  11  feet  by  24  feet;  another,  43  feet  by  18  feet; 
another,  15  feet  by  39  feet;  windows  in  each  instance  being  on  the 
narrow  side. 

In  the  Brookline  primary  schools  floor  area  is  usually  about 
20  square  feet  per  child,  but  some  of  the  rooms  in  the  high  school 
allow  only  12  square  feet  of  floor  area  for  each  pupil.  When  it 
is  remembered  that  not  only  are  pupils  in  the  high  school  larger 
than  primary  school  children,  but  that  their  seats  and  desks  take 
up  considerably  more  space,  some  idea  of  the  crowded  conditions 
in  these  rooms  may  be  gained.  For  elementary  schools  it  is  an 
accepted  standard  that  there  should  be  at  least  250  cubic  feet  of 
air  space  for  every  child  in  the  room.  In  certain  rooms  in  the 
Brookline  High  School  the  cubic  air  content  per  pupil  amounts  to 
only  168  cubic  feet. 

Conditions  in  the  larger  rooms  are  not  much  more  satisfac- 
tory. These  large  rooms  are  used  as  ''home  rooms"  to  which 
pupils  come  for  study  or  to  put  away  their  books.  Each  desk  is 
divided  by  a  partition  down  the  center  so  that  it  will  accommodate 
two  pupils.  At  the  back  or  along  the  side  of  the  room  there  are 
also  lockers  for  additional  students.  Thus,  in  Room  7  there  are 
50  desks,  each  accommodating  two  children,  and  50  lockers  at  the 
back.     That  is,  150  children  regard  Room  7  as  their  home  room. 


School  Buildings  and  Equipment  149 

When  classes  change,  pupils  throng  in  and  out  of  this  room  in 
order  to  secure  their  belongings.  It  is  so  crowded  that  when 
locker  doors  are  open  it  is  almost  impossible  to  pass  between  them 
and  the  desks.  One  finds  it  unpleasant  to  contemplate  what 
might  happen  in  such  a  room  in  case  of  an  alarm  of  fire. 

Light. 

Lighting  conditions  in  the  high  school  are  decidedly  unsatis- 
factory. The  building  is  so  placed  that  its  corners  point  towards 
the  north,  south,  east  and  west.  All  the  rooms  along  the  front  of 
the  building  receive  light  from  the  east  or  south;  that  is,  are  sub- 
jected to  the  direct  rays  of  the  sun  during  the  entire  morning. 
The  opposite  side,  however,  receives  light  only  from  the  north  or 
west  and  many  of  the  rooms  are  badly  shadowed  by  hill  and  trees 
at  the  back,  or  by  wings  of  the  building. 

In  six  rooms,  five  of  which  are  large  and  designed  to  accommo- 
date 50  pupils  each,  fight  is  admitted  from  the  front  and  left. 
These  rooms  are  usually  used  for  study  purposes.  Here,  as  chil- 
dren sit  at  their  desks  trying  to  read,  they  are  subjected  to  the 
constant  strain  of  front  light  pouring  into  their  eyes.  In  rooms 
receiving  direct  sunfight,  as  soon  as  the  sunbeams  begin  to  pour 
in  through  the  windows  the  shades  are  quickly  drawn  and,  as  a 
result,  the  desks  farthest  from  the  window  are  plunged  into  shadow. 

Certain  rooms  are  now  so  dark  that  they  should  not  be  used 
for  any  work  where  eye  strain  is  involved.  For  example,  the 
classroom  which  has  been  made  by  running  a  partition  through 
the  art  gallery  is  22  feet  by  39  feet,  and  is  Ughted  at  the  left  by 
three  windows,  each  with  a  rounded  top.  The  total  glass  area 
of  these  windows  is  eqyal  to  seven  per  cent  of  the  floor  area.  It 
should  be  equal  to  not  less  than  20  per  cent.  In  addition,  heavy 
brick  piers  and  festoons  of  ivy  shade  the  windows  from  the  outside 
and,  because  the  room  is  so  much  longer  than  it  is  wide,  pupils 
seated  at  the  further  side  receive  only  a  very  small  portion  of  the 
sunfight  which  is  allowed  to  enter. 

The  room  beside  it,  designed  for  18  pupils,  is  24  feet  by  11 
feet.  It  is  lighted  by  one  window.  Vines  darken  the  window. 
The  total  glass  area  is  10  per  cent  of  the  floor  area.     In  Room  38, 


150  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

which  was  formerly  part  of  a  lecture  room,  the  floor  is  39  feet  by 
15  feet,  except  for  a  portion  near  the  window  where  it  is  four  feet 
deeper.  It  is  hghted  by  three  windows,  rounded  at  the  top,  at 
the  left  side  of  the  room.  According  to  the  most  generous  esti- 
mate, the  glass  area  is  only  11  per  cent  of  the  floor  space,  and 
here  again  the  room  is  so  much  wider  than  it  is  deep  that  the  light 
does  not  reach  satisfactorily  students  seated  near  the  door. 

Under  the  assembly  hall  there  is  a  room  which  is  shaded  by 
the  opposite  wing  of  the  building  in  such  a  way  that  artificial  light 
must  be  kept  going  during  the  entire  school  period,  even  on  bright 
days.  This  room  should  be  completely  abandoned  for  regular 
classroom  exercises. 

Lighting  Summary. 

Lighting  conditions  in  the  Brookhne  High  School  are  very 
bad.  Glare  from  direct  sunlight,  front  lighting,  insufficient  glass 
area  and  outside  obstructions  are  to  be  found  singly  or  in  combina- 
tion in  almost  every  classroom.     This  report  urgently  suggests: 

1.  That  in  every  room  now  receiving  front  lighting  chairs 
and  desks  be  turned  to  face  in  the  opposite  direction.  Front 
lighting  has  been  disapproved  of  since  the  days  when  Horace 
Mann  wrote  his  criticisms  of  the  Boston  primary  school.  It  has 
no  place  in  the  modern  system. 

2.  All  green  shades  should  be  removed  from  the  building. 
Light-colored,  adjustable  shades  should  be  provided,  so  that  in 
order  to  shut  out  the  glare  of  direct  sunhght  it  will  not  also  be 
necessary  to  plunge  classes  in  gloom. 

3.  It  should  be  possible  to  see  the  sky  from  every  seat  in  the 
building.  Every  room  where  this  rule  is  not  complied  with 
should  be  under  suspicion.  As  soon  as  space  permits,  the  darkest 
rooms  should  be  closed  to  regular  classes. 

Toilets. 

Toilets  are  located  in  separate  towers  near  the  stairway. 
While  the  equipment  is  of  rather  old  type,  it  is  well  taken  care  of, 
and  the  rooms  are  fairly  well  heated  and  ventilated.  Hot  and 
cold  water  are  supplied  in  every  toilet  room.  The  fixtures  are 
adequate  in  number. 


School  Buildings  and  Equipment  151 

Special   Rooms. 

It  is  a  very  serious  fact  that  there  is  no  room  in  the  high  school 
where  girls  may  lie  down  and  rest  in  cases  of  illness.  At  present 
when  a  girl  is  sick  she  can  secure  no  privacy  except  in  the  toilet 
room,  and  even  there,  accommodations  for  her  are  inadequate. 
As  has  been  suggested  in  an  earlier  paragraph,  there  are  several 
rooms  which  are  so  dark  that  they  cannot  properly  be  used  for 
classroom  exercises.  One  of  these  might  temporarily  be  used  as  a 
rest  room  for  girl  students.  It  would  not  make  a  good  rest  room 
because  it  would  not  have  sufficient  air  and  sunshine,  but  it  would 
at  least  be  better  than  the  present  arrangement. 

The  women  teachers  are  not  properly  cared  for.  At  the  time 
of  the  Survey,  the  teachers'  room  was  being  used  for  medical  in- 
spection of  boys,  and  at  other  times  used  as  a  reception  room. 
Teachers  should  be  given  an  attractive  room,  large  and  airy,  and 
at  least  as  well  equipped  as  the  rooms  for  teachers  in  the  elementary 
schools. 

Accommodations  for  hanging  up  pupils'  wraps  are  seriously 
insufficient.  The  cases  of  pediculosis  found  among  students  at 
the  high  school  are  easily  accounted  for  when  one  looks  at  the  way 
in  which  hats  and  wraps  are  placed.  Hooks  are  placed  on  the 
walls  of  the  alcoves  between  classrooms.  Usually  down  the  center 
of  each  alcove  runs  a  partition  made  of  wood  and  wire  screening. 
These  partitions  reach  only  about  five  or  six  feet  from  the  floor, 
and  students  are  accustomed  to  lay  their  hats  one  upon  the  other 
on  top  of  the  partition  wall.  It  is  practically  impossible  under 
the  present  scheme  to  separate  one's  personal  clothing  from  that 
of  other  students.  There  are  no  adequate  provisions  for  the  care 
of  rubbers  or  umbrellas.]  Better  wardrobe  accommodations  should 
be  supphed  at  once. 

Ventilation. 
In  the  basement  of  the  high  school  building  there  is  a  battery 
of  steam  coils.  Air  is  admitted  through  large  openings  into  the 
coil  room.  After  it  is  heated  it  is  drawn  out  by  an  electric  fan, 
moisture  is  added  and  the  air  is  then  forced  up  into  the  classrooms. 
Tests  made  on  two  consecutive  days  in  December  in  order  to 


152  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

find  out  the  amount  of  moisture  in  the  air  showed  that  the  high 
school  rooms  have  as  a  rule  a  higher  relative  humidity  than  do 
rooms  in  the  elementary  schools.  Of  the  eight  classrooms  studied 
the  worst  showing  was  in  the  typewriter  room  south  of  the  main 
-entrance,  where  the  relative  humidity  was  28;  and  the  best  show- 
ing was  made  in  Room  33,  where  the  relative  humidity  was  38. 
Findings  for  the  various  rooms  are  shown  in  the  following  table: 

PSYCHROMETER    READINGS    IN   THE    BrOOKLINE    IIiGH    ScHOOL. 


^ase 
a 

1916 

December 

6 

Barom- 
eter 
29.6 

Dry 
Bulb 

72 

Wet 

Bulb 

54 

Differ- 
ence 
18 

Mean 

Outdoor     Indoor 

Relative    Relative 

Humidity  Humidity 

69              28 

b^ 

5 

29.7 

72 

55 

17 

87 

31 

c 

6 

29.6 

70 

54 

16 

69 

33 

d 

5 

29.7 

70 

54 

16 

87 

33 

« 

5 

29.7 

74 

57 

17 

87 

33 

f 

5 

29.7 

67 

52 

15 

87 

33 

& 

6 

29.6 

69 

54 

15 

69 

35 

h 

6 

29.6 

67 

53 

14 

69 

37 

i 

6 

29.6 

68 

54 

14 

69 

38 

The  temperature  of  rooms  receiving  sunshine  all  morning 
frequently  runs  far  too  high.  Not  all  the  rooms  are  equipped 
with  thermometers,  but  where  they  are  so  furnished  teachers 
report  very  high  temperatures.  Temperatures  as  high  as  73 
and  74°  F.  were  observed  at  the  times  tests  were  taken;  and  teachers 
report  that  in  some  rooms  the  thermometer  has  actually  registered 
as  high  as  79  degrees.  While  teachers  in  rooms  on  the  southeast  side 
are  complaining  because  of  excessive  heat,  teachers  on  the  op- 
posite side  of  the  building  are  frequently  chilly.  It  was  interest- 
ing to  note  in  talking  with  the  various  teachers  that  those  who 
habitually  held  classes  on  the  south  side  kept  their  windows 
open  and  said  there  was  no  rule  to  the  contrary,  while  teachers 
who  spent  most  of  their  time  in  classrooms  facing  on  the  north- 
east kept  their  windows  closed  and  said  that  they  were  not  al- 
lowed to  open  them. 

Many  windows  in  the  high  school  at  the  time  of  the  first 
Survey  visits  could  not  be  opened  at  the  top  because  the  window 


School  Buildings  and  Equipment  153 

shades  were  fastened  on  them  in  such  a  way  that  window  sticks 
could  not  be  inserted  in  the  sash.  They  had  apparently  been 
closed  in  this  way  for  years.  At  the  time  of  the  December  visit 
changes  had  been  made  so  that  certain  windows  could  be  opened 
from  the  top,  but  in  other  rooms  the  older  conditions  still  pre- 
vailed. 

As  was  stated  in  the  section  dealing  with  elementary  schools, 
it  is  considered  a  standard  for  elementary  buildings  that  there 
should  be  admitted  to  the  classroom  at  least  2000  cubic  feet  of 
fresh  air  per  child  per  hour.  Anemometer  tests  were  made  in 
certain  high  school  rooms  to  determine  how  much  air  was  being 
admitted  through  the  fresh  air  stacks  into  the  rooms.  Findings 
range  from  1020  cubic  feet  per  pupil  per  hour  to  2580  cubic  feet 
per  pupil  per  hour.  As  was  the  case  in  the  elementary  schools, 
much  of  the  air  actually  received  in  the  classroom  was  admitted 
through  open  windows  instead  of  through  the  fresh  air  flue.  The 
outlets  show  a  variation  of  from  360  cubic  feet  of  air  per  pupil 
per  hour  in  Room  29  to  3300  cubic  feet  in  Room  38. 

In  Room  33  the  one  window  was  closed  at  the  time  the  tests 
were  taken,  no  fresh  air  was  entering  in  the  fresh  air  inlet  and 
no  foul  air  was  escaping  through  the  foul  air  outlet  or  transom. 
The  window  was  fastened,  closed  at  the  top.  No  thermometer 
was  in  the  room.  In  Room  7  at  1.30  p.m.,  December  5,  with 
three  windows  at  one  side  opened  for  a  foot  each  at  the  bottom 
and  three  doors  wide  open  into  the  hallway,  the  thermometer 
registered  78°  F.  Room  1,  situated  directly  below  it,  also  fre- 
quently shows  very  high  temperatures.  High  pressure  steam 
pipes  connecting  the  high  school  with  the  Manual  Training 
School  run  directly  under  one  corner  of  this  room,  and  render 
it  hot  and  stuffy.  It  is  really  a  basement  room,  and  ground 
damp  works  in  through  the  foundation  walls.  The  window 
casing  at  one  end  is  rotten.  Cockroaches  are  very  plentiful  in 
this  room,  and  occasionally  cUmb  into  the  room  above. 

Summary. 

Ventilation  conditions  in  the  Brookhne  High  School  are 
characterized  by  moderate  humidity,  excessively  high  temperatures 


154  School  Survey  of  Erookline    . 

in  certain  rooms  and  low  in  others,  and  great  variability  in  the 
amounts  of  air  admitted  and  expelled  in  different  rooms.  Little 
can  be  done  to  remedy  the  bad  elements  of  this  situation  because 
the  ventilating  system  is  of  an  old  type.  Use  of  the  worst 
rooms  may  be  discontinued,  and  windows  may  be  opened  at  the 
top.     Expensive  alterations  cannot  be  recommended. 


Fire  Risk. 
Were  it  not  for  the  fact  that  the  heating  plant  for  the  high 
school  is  situated  in  the  Manual  Training  building,  the  fire  risks 
of  the  present  high  school  building  would  be  so  serious  as  to 
demand  immediate  and  important  structural  changes.  The 
building  now  presents  most  of  the  features  which  lead  to  loss  of 
Hfe  in  case  of  an  alarm  of  fire.  It  is  true  that  it  is  of  slow-burning 
construction,  so  called,  and  that  the  danger  that  fire  will  spread 
in  the  space  between  plaster  and  outside  walls  has  been  greatly 
lessened  by  fire  stopping.  Nevertheless,  even  without  actual  fire, 
if  the  building  were  full  of  pupils  and  an  alarm  were  given,  serious 
accidents  might  easily  result  through  panic. 

The  stairs  are  along  one  wall  in  the  central  part  of  the  build- 
ing, and  are  not  inclosed.  They  are  seven  feet  four  inches  wdde 
between  banisters.  They  have  handrail  supports  on  each  side, 
but  not  down  the  center.  If  stairs  are  to  be  wide,  they  should  al- 
ways have  a  central  handrail  so  that  pupils  coming  down  in  a 
hurry  and  crowded  away  from  the  side  may  grasp  the  central 
rail  to  keep  themselves  from  falling.  There  are  no  rails  on  the 
landing.  Steps  are  of  wood  supported  by  metal  risers.  If  fire 
started  in  the  basement  it  would  almost  undoubtedly  use  the 
stairway  as  a  flue,  for  the  stairs  are  not  inclosed  from  the  rest 
of  the  building,  and  are,  therefore,  not  protected  from  drafts. 

Storage  cupboards  are  situated  under  the  stairways  on  the 
ground  floor.  In  one  cupboard  furniture  is  stored;  in  the  other 
there  is  a  box  of  sawdust.  The  stairways  empty  into  the  main 
hall  opposite  the  teachers'  entrance.  Since  pupils  are  not  accus- 
tomed to  using  this  entrance,  in  case  of  an  alarm,  many  of  them 
would  run  to  the  basement  floor  in  order  to  escape  by  the  doors 


School  Buildings  and  Equipment  155 

they  commonly  use.  These  doors  are  at  the  ends  of  the  building, 
a  long  way  from  the  foot  of  the  stairways. 

Pupils'  exits  are  supplied  with  vestibules,  the  inner  doors  of 
which  swing  back  and  forth,  while  the  outer  doors  are  double  and 
bolted.  They  should  be  provided  with  panic  bolts.  The  main 
entrance  is  of  a  good  type.  Doors  are  hung  in  separate  frames, 
each  swings  outward  and  is  equipped  with  a  panic  bolt  so  adjusted 
that  it  actually  works.  In  the  vestibule  of  the  main  entrance 
there  is  an  alcove  each  side  of  the' doorway  which  is  five  feet  deep. 

A  horizontal  bar  should  be  placed  about  two  and  a  half  feat 
from  the  floor  across  each  of  these  alcove  spaces  so  as  to  act  as 
a  cut-off.  Pupils'  exits  should  certainly  be  made  as  safe  as 
those  provided  for  the  teachers. 

The  attic  is  large  and  drafty.  Very  httle  furniture  is  stored 
there,  and  none  should  be  added.  The  roof  is  supported  by  large 
wooden  beams.  There  are  no  horizontal  cut-offs  to  stop  drafts.  A 
large  clock  tower  rises  from  the  center,  which  would  be  a  sure 
means  of  estabhshing  a  draft  through  the  building.  A  winding 
iron  stair  leads  from  the  top  floor  to  the  attic.  The  door  to  this 
stairway  should  be  kept  locked. 

While  it  is  true  that  the  chief  source  of  danger  has  been 
removed  by  furnishing  heat  from  an  adjoining  building,  neverthe- 
less, there  are  several  places  where  fire  might  start  and  where 
special  precautions  have  not  been  sufficiently  taken.  The  chemi- 
cal and  cooking  laboratories,  the  kitchen  where  lunches  are  pre- 
pared, and  the  special  heater  in  the  basement  used  to  supplement 
the  regular  apparatus  are  all  possible  sources  of  danger. 

The  auditorium  occupies  the  central  wing  of  the  third  and 
fourth  floors.  It  has  no  direct  exit  to  the  outside.  A  winding 
metal  stairway  leads  from  the  dressing  room  to  the  floor  below, 
but  would  be  of  practically  no  use  in  time  of  panic.  Audiences 
are  obliged  to  leave  by  means  of  the  main  corridors  and  stairways. 
No  fire  escape  is  attached  to  the  auditorium.  In  fact,  there  is 
no  fire  escape  anywhere.  Chemical  extinguishers  and  hose  are 
suppHed  in  the  various  hallways,  but  there  is  no  direct  alarm  to 
fire  headquarters. 


156  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

Fire  Risk  Summary. 

To  render  the  high  school  really  safe  would  involve  extensive 
alterations.  As  soon  as  possible  a  new  building  should  be  secured, 
but  in  the  meantime  teachers  and  students  should  be  made  fully- 
aware  of  the  danger  and  taught  what  to  do  in  case  of  fire. 

A  fire  alarm  box  should  be  placed  on  each  floor,  with  direct 
connections  to  the  fire  engine  house. 

Outside  metal  fire  escapes  should  be  placed  at  each  end  of  the 
building. 

Cupboards  under  the  stairs  should  be  emptied  and  locked. 

Panic  bolts  should  be  placed  on  the  basement  doors. 

Alcoves  in  the  vestibule  of  the  main  entrance  should  be  closed 
by  horizontal  bars. 

The  clock  tower  should  be  partitioned  off  from  the  main  attic 
in  order  to  avoid  drafts. 

Fire  extinguishers  should  be  placed  in  chemical  and  cooking 
laboratories,  the  lunch  kitchen,  and  the  boiler  room. 

Pupils  and  teachers  should  be  given  lessons  how  to  handle  an 
extinguisher,  how  to  turn  in  an  alarm,  and  how  to  send  word 
through  the  building  in  case  of  fire. 

Fire  drills  should  be  held  twice  a  month.  They  should  come 
at  different  hours,  and  should  call  for  the  use  of  different  exits. 
Frequent  practice  should  be  given  all  pupils  and  teachers  in 
descending  fire  escapes  if  these  are  provided. 

•  THE    PRACTICAL  ARTS    AND    MANUAL    TRAINING 

BUILDING. 

The  Manual  Training  building  was  erected  in  1902  in  order 
to  furnish  shop  facihties  for  regular  high  school  students.  In 
1913  the  School  of  Practical  Arts  was  established  and  given  space 
in  the  same  building.  As  at  present  organized,  therefore,  the 
two  schools  are  under  one  roof,  with  two  principals,  each  in  charge 
of  part  of  the  work.  The  janitor  receives  directions  from  both 
heads. 

The  school  is  located  on  Tappan  Street,  facing  the  playground 
and  directly  in  front  of  the  steam  railroad.     The  railroad  runs  so 


School  Buildings  and  Equipment  157 

close  that  windows  upon  that  side  have  to  be  kept  shut  in  order 
to  exclude  cinders  and  noise. 

In  the  basement  of  the  Manual  Training  building  there  is 
situated  the  central  heating  plant  which  serves  not  only  that 
building,  but  also  the  pubhc  bathhouse,  public  gymnasium  and 
high  school.  It  is  a  large,  high-pressure  steam  plant,  together 
with  dynamos  for  generating  electricity.  Part  of  the  plant  is  in  a 
one-story  wing,  but  the  rest  of  it  extends  under  the  main  building. 
Large  spaces  around  the  boilers  and  careful  housekeeping  give  an 
impression  of  safety  and  precautions  against  accident  which  is 
not  warranted  by  the  facts. 

In  the  first  place,  the  danger  of  fire  or  explosion  from  a  large 
and  complicated  steam  plant,  particularly  of  the  high-pressure 
,type,  is  such  that  it  should  be  in  a  separate,  fireproof  building. 
Such  a  plant  should  never  be  installed  in  the  basement  of  a  public 
school  building.  In  the  second  place,  the  danger  is  aggravated 
by  the  fact  that  while  the  Manual  Training  building  is  fire- 
retarding  it  is  not  completely  fireproof.  Floors  are  of  wood  and 
the  ceiling  of  the  boiler  room  is  of  wooden  construction.  A 
wise  precaution  has  been  taken  in  keeping  a  watchman  in  attend- 
ance at  the  heating  plant  day  and  night,  but  this  does  not  eUmi- 
nate  the  very  real  danger  from  explosion. 

Since  the  heating  plant  cannot  be  removed,  steps  should  be 
taken  to  replace  the  wooden  ceihng  of  the  basement  with  con- 
crete or  other  fireproof  material.  In  future  building  operations 
the  people  of  Brookline  should  insist  that  such  high-pressure 
plants  be  placed  in  completely  separate  buildings. 

The  main  fuel  supply  for  the  heating  plant  is  confined  in 
a  fireproof  fuel  pocket  extended  underground  beyond  the  build- 
ing, but  a  smaller  supply  is  stored  near  the  foundry  room,  close- 
to  the  main  stairway.  It  is  piled  upon  the  floor  and  held  in  place 
by  wooden  boarding.  Boxes  of  wood  shavings  and  kindling 
are  close  by.  A  lighted  match  carelessly  flung  might  easily  give 
rise  to  a  sudden  fire  which  could  cause  serious  trouble.  If  fuel 
is  to  continue  to  be  stored  in  the  room  bins  should  be  built,  fined 
throughout  with  fireproof  material,  and  completely  closed  off 
from  the  rest  of  the  room.     The  expense  of  building  such  a  fuel 


158  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

bin  need  not  be  excessive,  and  the  elimination  of  fire  risks  would 
be  considerable. 

Stairs. 
There  is  only  one  stair  well  in  the  Manual  Training  School. 
The  stairs  lead  from  the  entrance  to  the  second  floor,  and  are 
of  the  inverted  Y  type  —  that  is,  two  stairs  lead  from  the  first 
floor  to  a  mezzanine  landing,  and  one  wider  flight  leads  from 
this  landing  to  the  floor  above.  The  stairway  is  of  fireproof 
material,  with  non-burnable  treads,  risers,  and  supports.  It 
is  not  inclosed.  The  two  flights  leading  from  the  first  floor  to 
the  landing  are  seven  feet  wide,  while  the  upper  stair  is  practicall}- 
12  feet  wide.  Handrails  are  supplied  on  each  side  of  the  stair- 
way, but  not  on  the  landing  or  down  the  center.  Seven  feet 
is  too  wide  for  a  high  school  stairway,  but  too  narrow  to  allow  a 
center  rail.  The  12-foot  section,  however,  should  be  supplied 
with  a  center  rail  without  delay. 

Exits. 

The  main  entrance  is  directly  at  the  foot  of  the  stairway. 
Three  doors,  hung  separately,  lead  from  the  vestibule  to  the 
stairway,  and  tw^o  doors  lead  to  the  basement.  In  this  way  the 
main  stairway  is  effectively  cut  off  from  the  basement  stair  well, 
and  the  danger  that  fire  will  spread  by  stair  drafts  is  largely  elimi- 
nated. There  are  three  outer  doors,  each  double,  and  each 
closed  by  the  ordinary  type  of  knob  and  latch.  When  these 
doors  are  locked  it  is  impossible  to  get  in  or  out.  As  was  stated 
in  an  earher  section,  it  is  a  cardinal  rule  in  schoolhouse  con- 
struction that  bolts  should  bar  entrance,  not  exit.  It  should  be 
impossible  for  any  pupil  to  find  himself  locked  in.  This  report 
recommends,  therefore,  that  the  locks  on  the  doors  of  the  Manual 
Training  building  be  removed  without  delay  and  panic  bolts 
installed,  as  has  already  been  done  on  the  main  doors  of  the 
high  school  building.  Similar  locks  should  be  placed  on  the 
basement  exits. 

Corridors. 

Corridors  are  14  feet  wide  and  well  hghted.  Along  one 
side,  opposite  the  stairs,  is  a  row  of  showcases,  where  samples 


School  Buildings  and  Equipment  159 

of  students'  work  are  displayed.  These  exhibits  are  interesting 
to  the  visitor,  but  .the  hallway  is  not  the  place  for  them.  As 
at  present  arranged  they  cut  the  available  corridor  space  practically 
in  half,  directly  opposite  the  stairway  where  it  is  most  needed. 
If  the  cases  must  be  stored  in  the  corridor  they  should  at  least 
be  moved  close  against  the  wall,  so  that  no  space  is  lost  behind 
them.     A  far  better  plan  would  be  to  remove  them  entirely. 

Attic. 

Above  the  second  story  there  is  a  large,  open  attic  intended 
as  a  temporary  covering  until  such  time  as  a  third  story  should  be 
added.  The  beams  are  of  wood,  with  an  occasional  steel  girder. 
The  floor  is  of  wood,  and  so  roughly  laid  that  at  places  it  is  pos- 
sible to  look  down  through  the  cracks  to  the  corridor  of  the 
floor  below.  There  are  a  few  pieces  of  furniture  stored  there, 
but  for  the  most  part  the  attic  is  empty.  A  wooden  stairway 
with  door  at  the  foot  leads  to  the  attic.  There  are  no  handrails, 
and  at  the  top  instead  of  a  protective  wall  or  raiUng  the  stair 
well  is  shut  off  by  a  row  of  old  chairs  laid  on  their  sides  around  it. 
A  closet  is  placed  under  the  stairway. 

It  is  evident  that  within  a  comparatively  short  time  a  third 
story  must  be  added  to  the  Manual  Training  High  School.  This 
report  urges  that  the  addition  be  made  with  a  flat  roof  instead 
of  pitched.  It  is,  of  course,  desirable  to  keep  the  appearance  of 
all  the  public  buildings  around  the  square  more  or  less  in  accord, 
but  if  the  new  Junior  and  Senior  High  Schools  are  properly  planned 
they  also  will  be  finished  with  fiat  roofs.  The  flat  roof  furnishes 
opportunities  for  overhead  Hghting.  roof  gardens,  or  playgrounds, 
is  less  expensive  to  build,  and  far  safer  in  case  of  fire.  It  would 
hardly  be  a  defensible  policy  to  erect  all  three  new  buildings  on 
an  obsolete  plan  in  order  that  they  might  harmonize  with  the 
peaked  roof  of  the  gymnasium. 

Fire  Escapes. 
There  are  two  fire  escapes  on  the  Manual  Training  building. 
One  is  at  the  rear  towards  the  southern  corner.     It  is  in  a  brick 
tower,  and  goes  from  the  second  .story  to  the  ground.     There  is 


160  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

no  connection  with  the  roof.  The  stairway  is  of  metal,  not  quite 
three  feet  wide,  and  is  on  the  spiral  plan,  so  that  every  step  is 
a  sharp  wedge.  This  means  that  only  about  half  of  the  tread 
is  wide  enough  to  furnish  a  good  foothold.  There  are  no  hand- 
rails, and  the  stair  is  very  dark.  It  was  not  an  easy  matter  for 
the  member  of  the  Survey  Staff  to  walk  down  this  fire  escape, 
even  when  there  was  no  alarm  of  fire,  no  crowd,  and  plenty  of 
time  to  make  the  descent.  In  time  of  fire  it  would  be  positively 
dangerous. 

The  other  fire  escape  leads  from  the  cooking  room  to  the 
roof  of  the  heating  plant.  It,  too,  is  spiral,  but  there  is  no  in- 
closing wall.  To  reach  it  it  was  necessary  to  go  into  an  adjoining 
room,  find  a  chair,  bring  it  back  to  the  cooking  room,  and  stand 
upon  it  in  order  to  unlock  the  window  and  climb  through.  This 
fire  escape  was  not  designed  for  purposes  of  speedy  and  safe  exit. 

When  a  third  story  is  added  to  the  building  the  need  of  extra 
fire  escapes  will  greatly  increase.  There  is  at  present  only  one 
inside  stairway.  With  a  third  story  at  least  one  more  must  be 
added.  This  report  suggests  that  at  least  one,  and  preferably  two 
stairways  be  placed  at  the  ends  of  the  building,  in  separate  fire 
proof  stair  towers.  These  stairs  should  reach  to  the  roof  and 
should  empty  directly  to  the  open  air.  They  should  be  of  fire- 
proof construction  throughout,  enclosed  in  fireproof  walls,  and  cut 
off  at  each  floor  by  self-closing  doors  of  metal  and  wire  glass.  In 
details  of  construction  they  should  follow  the  best  practice  for 
regular  school  stairways.  Tower  stairs  of  this  kind  could  be  used 
as  regular  means  of  exit;  they  would  be  panic  proof  and  fireproof; 
and  would  make  the  best  possible  outside  fire  escapes. 

Lighting. 
Through  a  combination  of  unfortunate  circumstances,  most 
of  the  rooms  in  the  Manual  Training  High  School  are  inadequately 
hghted.  The  basement  rooms  are  darkened  by  shrubbery  grow- 
ing close  to  the  walls.  Trees  cut  off  much  of  the  light  from  some 
of  the  first  floor  rooms,  while  others  are  darkened  by  the  bath  house 
building.  Rooms  on  the  second  floor  are  provided  with  windows 
which  are  curved  at  the  top  instead  of  square  cornered.     For  these 


School  Buildings  and  Equipment  161 

rooms  much  of  the  light  is  necessarily  cut  off  because  of  the  shape 
and  in  several  cases  the  upper  portion  of  glass  area  is  covered  by 
shades  which  are  fastened  permanently  in  place.  In  the  large 
classrooms  which  are  most  generously  supplied  with  windows,  the 
glass  area  is  equal  to  only  about  16  per  cent  of  the  floor  area.  In 
Practical  Arts  1  artificial  fight  is  used  during  most  of  the  session. 
In  Practical  Arts  2,  screens  across  the  center  of  the  room,  cut  off 
fight  from  the  seats  beyond.  Even  were  these  removed,  the 
amount  of  fight  admitted  would  be  insufficient  for  close  work. 
In  the  foundry  room  are  three  windows  which  are  badly  shaded 
because  of  shrubbery.     The  machine  shop  is  darkened  by  trees. 

As  a  first  step  towards  remedying  these  diflaculties,  the  orna- 
mental bushes  and  trees  surrounding  the  building  should  either 
be  pruned  or  removed  entirely. 

In  the  second  place,  fight-colored  shades  should  be  provided 
for  all  windows.  These  shades  should  be  adjustable,  and  so 
arranged  that  they  can  be  drawn  up  over  the  curved  tops  when 
desirable.  No  permanent  covering  should  be  allowed  over  any 
of  the  window-glass  area. 

Third,  all  walls  should  be  painted  buff  color.  The  fight  green 
at  present  used  in  some  of  the  rooms  absorbs  too  much  fight. 

Finally,  wherever  possible  chairs  and  desks  should  be  moved 
close  to  the  windows,  and  clear  space  left  near  the  inner  walls. 
Most  of  the  classrooms  in  the  Manual  Training  High  School  are 
about  50  feet  long  by  373^  feet  wide.  This  almost  necessarily 
means  that  the  parts  of  the  room  farthest  from  the  windows  re- 
ceive much  less  than  their  share  of  fight.  The  rooms  are  higher 
than  the  ordinary  classroom,  but  the  additional  window  height  is 
of  fittle  help  because  of  the  curved  tops.  What  light  there  is  can 
be  utifized  best  by  moving  chairs  and  desks  as  close  to  the  outer 
wall  as  can  be  arranged  without  serious  crowding. 

When  the  third  story  is  added  to  the  present  building  a 
great  deal  of  ingenuity  will  be  necessary  to  devise  a  plan  whereby 
each  room  may  be  suppfied  with  window  glass  equal  in  area  to  at 
least  one-fifth  and  if  possible  one-fourth  of  the  floor  space,  and 
yet  the  outside  of  the  addition  may  harmonize  fairly  well  with  the 
appearance  of  the  lower  stories.     The  natural  tendency  will  be 


162  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

to  sacrifice  the  eyesight  of  the  students  to  the  appearance  of  the 
building.     A  better  solution  should  be  diligently  sought. 

Heating  and  Ventilation. 

No  special  tests  were  made  of  the  heating  and  ventilation  of 
the  Manual  Training  High  School.  The  general  impression  gained 
during  visits  in  December  was  that  the  building  was  uncomfortably 
hot,  and  temperature  records  for  December  8  showed  73°  F.  for 
the  machine  workroom  and  80°  F.  for  the  pattern-making  room. 
Large  classrooms  are  furnished  with  special- ventilating  flues,  but 
there  is  no  special  means  of  ventilation  for  the  offices  or  other  small 
rooms.  Here  direct  radiation  from  radiators  must  be  relied  upon 
for  heating  and  open  windows  for  fresh  air.  Teachers  complain 
that  in  order  to  keep  the  kindergarten  rooms  warm  enough  the  rest 
of  the  building  is  regularly  overheated.  They  also  speak  of  diffi- 
culty in  keeping  books  and  papers  clean  because  of  the  soft-coal 
smoke  which  comes  into  the  classrooms  from  shop  fires  in  the 
basement  and  cinders  which  blow  through  the  windows  from  the 
railroad  outside. 

Toilets. 

The  toilet  room  in  the  basement  is  labelled;  those  upstairs 
are  not.  Toilet  accommodations  for  boys  are  of  fairly  good  type, 
and  ample  in  number,  although  more  should  be  added  when  the 
size  of  the  building  is  increased.  FaciUties  for  the  girls  are  seri- 
ously deficient  in  number.  There  are  only  three  toilet  seats  for 
all  the  girls  in  the  building;  and  these  also  have  to  be  used  by  the 
kindergarten  children.  New  fixtures  should  be  added  as  soon  as 
possible.  Their  number  must  depend  upon  the  probable  number 
of  girls  who  will  use  the  building  under  the  new  plan  of  adminis- 
tration. 

Rest  Rooms  Needed. 

There  are  no  rest  rooms  in  the  Manual  Training  High  School. 
Any  school  which  includes  women  and  adolescent  girls  among  its 
students  should  provide  a  room  well  ventilated,  fitted  with  couches, 
and  with  a  small  toilet  room  attached  where  students  may  retire 
in  case  of  illness.  A  similar  room  should  be  set  aside  for  the  use  of 
women  teachers. 


School  Buildings  and  Equipment  163 

KINDERGARTEN. 

For  many  years  a  kindergarten  has  been  maintained  in  one  of 
the  high  school  buildings.  Efforts  to  combine  it  with  classes  at 
the  Pierce  or  Lincoln  Schools  have  met  with  bitter  opposition  on 
the  part  of  parents.  The  two  schools  mentioned  already  main- 
tain kindergartens  far  better  equipped  and  suited  to  the  needs  of 
children  than  are  the  two  stuffy  httle  rooms  on  the  second  floor 
of  the  Manual  Training  building.  Moreover,  one  of  these  schools 
is  often  at  a  shorter  distance  from  the  child's  home  than  the  school 
he  now  attends. 

Some  time  ago  the  School  Committee  suggested  fitting  up  an 
empty  room  at  the  Lincoln  School  and  transferring  the  high  school 
kindergarten  to  it.  It  proposed  to  provide  different  rooms  and 
teachers,  different  hours  of  opening  and  closing,  and  a  different 
play  period  from  that  of  the  other  Lincoln  kindergarten  class; 
but  even  with  these  concessions  the  opposition  seemed  to  be  too 
strong  to  be  overcome.  The  School  Committee  now  contemplates 
erecting  a  separate  building  near  the  high  school  in  order  to 
accommodate  this  one  kindergarten  class. 

There  can  be  no  question  concerning  the  unsuitability  of  the 
rooms  now  used  by  the  kindergarten  in  the  Manual  Training 
High  School.  They  are  small,  poorly  ventilated,  and  w^ithout 
proper  facihties  for  play.  Coatroom  space  is  inadequate  and 
poorly  arranged.  Children  are  required  to  use  toilets  intended 
for  adults.  They  are  obliged  to  cHmb  a  flight  of  very  steep  stairs, 
In  case  of  a  fire  it  would  be  extremely  difficult  to  secure  their 
safe  and  speedy  escape  from  the  building.  The  kindergarten 
should  be  transferred  to  other  quarters  without  delay.  To 
an  outsider  it  would  seem  the  most  natural  solution  of  the  dif- 
ficulty to  break  up  the  class  and  distribute  the  children  among 
other  kindergartens  already  maintained  near  their  homes.  If 
however,  the  town  wishes  to  go  to  the  expense  of  providing  a 
special  building  or  special  kindergarten  rooms  in  one  of  the 
proposed  new  buildings  there  is  no  clear  reason  why  it  should 
not  do  so;  alwa3's  provided  that  this  use  of  funds  does  not  penaUze 
less  fortunate  school  children. 


164         School  Sukvey  of  Brookline 

GYMNASIUM    BUILDING. 

Instead  of  having  a  gymnasium  of  their  own  high  school 
students  are  granted  the  use  of  the  pubhc  gymnasium  for  certain 
hours.  The  wisdom  of  this  arrangement  and  the  appropriateness 
of  the  gymnasium  from  the  physical  training  point  of  view  are 
considered  in  one  of  the  other  Survey  reports.  Brief  mention 
should,  however,  be  made  at  this  point  of  the  fire  risks  encountered 
in  the  pubhc  gymnasium  building. 

The  gymnasium  is  not  fireproof.  Floors  are  of  wood,  and 
wooden  stairs,  unenclosed,  and  with  dangerous  wedge-shaped 
treads  lead  from  floor  to  floor.  There  is  a  scarcity  of  shower 
baths  and  dressing  rooms;  but  even  with  the  present  number 
every  available  corner  is  utihzed.  Some  girls  have  to  chmb 
four  flights  before  they  can  reach  their  dressing  rooms. 

If  fire  should  start  in  the  gymnasium  building  while  girls 
were  in  the  process  of  bathing  and  dressing  it  would  almost  be 
a  miracle  if  all  escaped  unhurt.  At  the  cry  of  fire  there  would 
be  a  concerted  rush  for  the  stairways.  Articles  of  clothing  would 
be  dropped,  where  they  would  catch  the  feet  of  hurrying  girls. 
The  stairways  are  so  poorly  constructed  that  if  20  or  30  girls 
tried  to  rush  down  in  a  body  almost  surely  some  one  would  stumble. 
In  case  the  fire  gained  any  headway  the  stairways  would  be 
filled  with  smoke  and  girls  already  frightened  would  become 
panic  striken. 

If  they  succeeded  in  reaching  the  foot  of  the  stairs  their 
way  would  be  locked  by  the  iron  gates  which  divide  the  entrance 
hall  and  are  usually  kept  locked.  They  would  have  to  go  through 
the  narrower  gateway,  one  or  two  at  a  time,  before  they  could 
even  reach  the  outer  doors;  and  here  again  two  of  the  three  door- 
ways are  locked  from  the  inside  and  could  not  be  used. 

A  fire  alarm  box  is  situated  in  the  main  hallway,  and  its  use 
would  probably  summon  the  fire  department  in  time  to  save 
the  building,  but  in  case  of  a  panic  only  fortunate  chance  would 
prevent  serious  accidents  and  loss  of  fife.  So  far  the  town  of 
Brookhne  has  been  taking  chances.  How  long  does  it  wish  to 
continue  the  same  pohcy? 


School  Buildings  and  Equipment  165 

Summary  and  Recommendations. 

The  gymnasium  building  is  not  fireproof.  It  is  several  stories 
high.  Badly  constructed  stairs  and  entrance  combined  with 
serious  overcrowding  form  a  fire  hazard  which  should  not  be 
allowed  in  any  pubhc  building.  The  gymnasium  is  not  a  part  of  the 
pubKc  school  system  and  the  School  Committee  is  not  responsible 
for  errors  in  its  construction,  but  the  committee  is  responsible 
for  the  Hves  of  children  entrusted  to  its  care.  If  high  school 
students  are  to  continue  using  the  pubhc  gymnasium  for  the 
pursuit  of  regular  school  activities  it  devolves  upon  the  school 
authorities  to  insist  that  adequate  measures  be  taken  to  insure 
safety  in  case  of  an  alarm  of  fire. 

Summary  of  Existing  Conditions  and  Plans  for  the  Future. 

Mistaken  Economy. 

In  Brookline  the  erection  of  new  buildings  is  put  off  as  long 
as  possible.  This,  unfortunately,  is  a  tendency  not  uncommon 
elsewhere,  and  yet  the  members  of  the  Survey  Staff  have  more 
confidence  in  the  innate  generosity  and  common  sense  of  the 
people  of  Brookhne  than  to  believe  that  they  will  be  satisfied 
with  anything  less  than  the  best.  They  believe  that  Brookhne 
wants  her  children  to  be  housed  in  buildings  which  are  adapted 
to  modern  pedagogical  methods,  properly  heated  and  lighted,  and 
safe  in  time  of  fire.  Moreover,  the  Survey  Staff  believes  that 
Brookhne  is  not  only  able,  but  wilhng,  to  pay  the  necessary  price 
in  order  to  secure  these  things. 

If  the  school  authorities  will  adopt  a  systematic,  well-thought- 
out  building  pohcy,  so  that  new  houses  shall  be  erected  when 
they  are  needed,  where  they  are  needed,  and  according  to  the  most 
approved  modern  plans,  the  Survey  Staff  beheves  that  Brookhne 
will  gladly  approve  the  necessary  expenditure. 

Architects  Should  be  School  Specialists. 

Twenty  years  ago  buildings  were  already  being  erected  with 
unilateral  lighting,  flat  roofs,  fireproof  stairways  in  separate  stair 


166  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

towers,  sunken  wardrobes,  first  floor  auditoriums,  dispensaries, 
gymnasiums  and  shower  baths. 

Few  people  realize  what  amazing  developments  have  taken 
place  in  school  architecture  during  the  past  three  decades.  The 
planning  of  school  buildings  has  become  a  highly  specialized  field. 
It  is  no  longer  possible  for  an  architect  whose  specialty  is  planning 
churches,  office  buildings,  factories  or  courthouses,  to  step  into 
the  field  of  school  architecture  and  render  satisfactory  service. 
If  Brookline  wishes  modern  schools  she  must  secure  the  services 
of  architects  who  know  how  to  build  them . 

Old  Errors  Copied  in  New  Buildings. 

It  is  not  only  the  older  buildings  of  Brookline  which  show 
archaic  features  of  school  architecture.  Evidence  that  expert 
advice  is  still  lacking  is  found  in  the  fact  that  buildings  recently 
erected  repeat  errors  committed  long  before.  For  example,  all  of 
the  old  buildings  show  pitched  roofs,  and  so  also  do  all  the  new 
buildings.  Lighting  from  two  sides  is  found  in  some  of  the  rooms 
of  the  Devotion  grammar,  which  is  less  than  three  years  old. 
The  Heath  School  shows  windows  with  curved  tops.  Stairs  and 
exits  in  all  buildings  are  all  of  the  old  type;  most  of  them  are  made 
of  wood  and  none  is  inclosed  in  a  fireproof  tower. 

The  Runkle  and  Devotion  Schools  are  built  on  the  cottage 
plan :  each  has  three  separate  buildings,  connected  by  underground 
passages.  There  are  two  serious  disadvantages  to  such  an  ar- 
rangement. In  the  first  place,  the  first  cottage  to  be  erected  sets 
the  style  for  each  of  the  others.  For  example,  the  architects 
employed  to  build  the  Devotion  grammar  state  that  they  would 
have  preferred  a  flat  roof  but  adopted  the  old-fashioned  pitched 
roof  because  the  primary  was  already  built  that  way.  Thus, 
where  the  cottage  plan  is  used,  economy,  safety  and  convenience 
must  often  be  sacrificed  in  order  to  secure  outward  conformity. 

The  second  disadvantage  of  the  cottage  plan  is  that  it  makes 
no  satisfactory  provision  for  further  additions.  Each  building  is 
apt  to  cut  off  light  from  classrooms  in  the  others,  and  the  more 
wings  or  separate  buildings  are  added  the  more  difficult  it  is  to 
secure  proper  fighting  for  all.     In  view  of  these  very  real  dis- 


School  Buildings  and  Equipment  16T 

advantages,   Brookline  is  advised  to  discontinue  her  policy  of 
erecting  schoolhouses  on  the  .cottage  plan. 

The  School  Census  an  Aid  to  Building. 

In  spite  of  a  common  belief  to  the  contrary,  the  population 
of  Brookline  is  steadily  increasing.  As  time  goes  on,  more  build- 
ings will  be  needed,  and  if  these  are  to  be  properly  placed  it  is 
necessary  for  the  School  Committee  to  know  what  parts  of  the 
town  are  growing  most  rapidly,  and  where  population  is  stagnant. 

The  Committee  should  not  depend  upon  popular  belief  or 
guesswork  in  formulating  its  building  pohcy.  By  taking  school 
census  reports  and  comparing  them  year  by  year  it  is  possible  to 
predict  movements  of  population  with  considerable  accuracy. 
The  Committee  should,  therefore,  plan  to  make  regular  and  careful 
comparative  studies  as  a  basis  for  deciding  when  and  where  schools 
should  be  erected  and  how  many  rooms  they  should 'contain. 

Remaking  Old  Building's. 

There  is  no  thoroughly  up-to-date  building  in  the  Brookline 
system.  The  Devotion  grammar  comes  the  nearest  to  fulfilling 
modern  requirements,  but  even  here  we  find  fighting  from  two 
sides,  aucfitorium  without  direct  exits  and  with  flat  instead  of 
slanting  floor,  stairs  which  are  not  shut  off  from  the  rest  of  the 
building,  a  pitched  roof  and  an  attic.  No  other  building  meets 
even  the  standard  set  by  the  Devotion  grammar. 

The  Lincoln  primary,  grammar  and  annex,  Sewall,  Parsons, 
Cabot,  Longwood  and  Lawrence  are  of  antiquated  design  and  so 
seriously  dangerous  through  lack  of  fire  protection  that  their 
continued  use  without  change  places  the  lives  of  the  children  in 
jeopardy. 

It  is  recommended  that  in  the  Manual  Training,  Devotion 
primary  and  intermediate,  Pierce  grammar.  Pierce  primary, 
Runkle  and  Cabot  Schools  special  measures  be  taken  completely 
to  isolate  the  heating  plant  from  the  rest  of  the  building  and  to 
provide  ample  exit  facilities  in  panic-proof,  fireproof  stairways  or 
modern  outside  fire  escapes.  It  may  be  found  wiser  to  send  the 
few  children  who  now  attend  the  Cabot  School  to  the  Devotion 


168  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

rather  than  to  spend  the  amount  of  money  and  effort  which  is 
necessary  if  the  Cabot  School  is  to  be  rendered  safe. 

Longwood. 

The  Longwood  School  is  close  to  the  Brookline  boundary  and 
is  run  practically  for  the  benefit  of  Boston  children.  It  is  a  wooden 
building  of  old-fashioned  type.  Its  sanitary  arrangements  are 
unsatisfactory,  and  it  would  readily  burn  down.  In  the  opinion 
•of  the  Surveyors,  use  of  the  Longwood  School  should  be  di  con- 
tinued. 

Lawrence. 

The  Lawrence  School  is  one  of  the  worst  buildings  in  Brook- 
line. Lighting  is  inadequate,  so  that  most  of  the  children  are 
subjected  to  eye  strain  most  of  the  time.  Blackboards  are  of 
plaster.  Seats  and  desks  are  for  the  most  part  of  old  style  and 
non-adjustable.  Gusts  of  wind  blow  in  through  cracks,  and  tem- 
perature is  uneven  in  different  parts  of  the  room.  Stairs  are  of 
dangerous  type.  The  fire  escape  is  almost  useless.  The  heating 
plant  is  a  constant  source  of  danger.  Toilets  are  dark  and  at 
times  ill-smelling.  The  basement  floor  is  damp.  There  is  no 
proper  provision  for  the  care  of  teachers,  principal  or  sick  children. 
Many  of  BrookUne's  best  people  received  their  education  in  the 
Lawrence  School,  and  its  memory  is  dear  to  their  hearts,  but  they 
should  not  utilize  it  as  a  place  where  present  generations  must  be 
taught. 

JSewall,  Parsons  and  Lincoln. 

The  Sewall,  Parsons  and  Lincoln  Schools  are  on  three  points 
'Of  the  circumference  surrounding  what  is  known  as  the  Walnut 
Hill  region.  The  Sewall  and  Parsons  are  almost  on  the  edge  of 
town.  They  are  small  primary  schools  of  antique  model,  unfitted 
for  modern  educational  work,  and  seriously  liable  to  burn.  To 
render  them  sufficiently  safe  for  children  to  attend  would  entail  an 
expenditure  out  of  proportion  to  their  value. 

The  Lincoln  grammar,  and  annex,  is  a  large  rambUng  build- 
ing in  which,  because  of  the  southern  exposure,  it  is  impossible 


School  Buildings  and  Equipment  169 

to  secure  proper  lighting  conditions.  Seats  and  desks  are  old 
and  many  of  them  non-adjustable.  Blackboards  are  in  poor 
shape.  At  times  it  is  almost  impossible  to  warm  certain  rooms, 
while  others  become  excessively  hot.  Toilets  are  dark  and  ill- 
smelling.  Cellar  floors  are  damp  and  plaster  falls  from  the 
ceiling.  There  is  no  direct  connection  between  the  basements 
of  the  grammar,  shop,  and  annex,  and  to  go  from  one  to  the 
other  the  janitor  is  obhged  to  climb  to  the  second  story  or  else 
go  outdoors.  The  fire  escape  is  unsafe.  Examination  of  the 
basement  disclosed  conditions  of  fire  hazard  so  extreme  as  to 
call  for  drastic  action. 

The  Lincoln  primary,  directly  across  the  street,  is  situated 
between  a  street  car  fine  and  the  steam  railroad.  If  windows 
on  the  south  are  open  class  work  is  drowned  by  the  noise  of  pass- 
ing vehicles.  If  those  on  the  north  are  opened  the  roar  of  trains 
and  clouds  of  smoke  again  interfere.  Rooms  are  wide  and  shal- 
low, so  that  teachers  have  great  difficulty  in  conducting  classes. 
Blackboards  are  in  very  bad  condition,  improperly  located  and 
too  high  for  children  to  use.  Rooms  are  insufficiently  Hghted 
and  there  is  constant  glare  on  the  southern  side.  The  air  is 
excessively  hot  and  dry.  Toilet  conditions  are  absolutely  un- 
adapted  to  the  use  of  young  children,  and  would  be  exceedingly 
undesirable  for  children  of  any  age.  The  stairs  are  so  dark  that 
children  do  not  dare  to  go  down  alone;  and  there  is  no  artificial 
light  in  the  building.  Fire  conditions  in  the  basement  are  so 
bad  as  apparently  to  constitute  a  dereliction  of  duty  on  the 
part  of  the  local  fire  marshal. 

New  Elementary  School  Needed. 

The  Parsons,  Sewall,  Lincoln  grammar,  and  Lincoln  primary 
are  four  of  the  worst  buildings  in  Brookhne.  They  are  all  situated 
near  together,  and  draw  their  pupils  from  the  most  crowded 
part  of  the  town.  Many  of  these  children  come  from  close  to 
the  poverty  line,  where  there  are  few  opportunities  to  learn  the 
niceties  of  living,  and  great  need  for  systematic  instruction  in 
matters  of  conduct  and  hygiene.  It  is  to  these  children  whose 
need  is  greatest  that  Brookhne  has  given  its  worst  school  buildings. 


170  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

In  view  of  these  conditions  this  report  recommends  that 
the  town  of  Brookline  secure  a  site  as  near  the  Village  square 
as  possible,  and  erect  thereon  a  large  public  school  building  of 
the  most  approved  modern  type,  amply  provided  with  auditorium, 
hbrary,  gymnasiums,  shower  baths,  playrooms,  lunchroom,  and 
dispensary,  and  so  arranged  that  it  may  be  utihzed  to  its  fullest 
capacity  as  a  community  center  for  the  families  hving  near. 
There  is  probably  no  single  investment  which  the  town  could 
make  more  hkely  to  result  in  improved  social  conditions  than 
this  placing  of  a  sociahzed  modern  school  in  the  heart  of  what 
is  commonly  spoken  of  as  "the  Brookhne  slums." 

Newton  Street  School. 

The  Newton  Street  School  is  probably  one  of  the  oldest 
school  buildings  still  in  use  in  the  United  States.  It  was  built 
in  1768  and  enlarged  in  1839.  It  is  situated  at  a  long  distance 
from  the  center  of  the  town,  in  that  part  of  Brookline  which 
is  given  over  to  large  estates.  The  Survey  Committee  beheves 
that  it  should  be  closed,  and  that  the  few  children  who  attend 
should  be  taken  in  wagons  to  the  Heath  School,  where  they 
would  receive  better  educational  opportunities. 

The  Newton  Street  School  is  a  one-room  building.  It 
stands  at  one  side  of  the  road,  facing  south,  and  banked  on  the 
west  and  east  by  a  thickly  wooded  hill.  Windows  are  on  all  four 
sides.  Heating  is  by  means  of  an  old-fashioned  iron  stove. 
There  is  no  running  water,  and  water  for  washing  and  drinking 
purposes  is  brought  from  next  door.  Fuel  bin  and  toilets  are  in 
sheds  attached  to  the  main  building.  The  building  is  in  fairly 
good  repair;  but  many  changes  should  be  speedily  made  if  it  is 
to  be  continued  in  use. 

Changes  Needed  at  Newton  Street. 

1.  Front  windows  should  be  closed  by  opaque  shades  or 
blackboards. 

2.  Blackboards  are  now  of  several  materials.  Slate  should 
be  installed  throughout,  and  placed  24  inches  from  the  floor 
instead  of  five  feet  four  inches  as  they  are  now. 


School  Buildings  and  Equipment  171 

3.  A  modern  jacketed  stove,  such  as  is  now  frequently  re- 
quired by  law  for  rural  schools,  should  take  the  place  of  the  old- 
fashioned  stove  now  in  use. 

4.  Water  should  be  piped  to  the  building. 

5.  Modern  toilets  with  water  flush  and  sewer  connection 
should  be  installed  at  once. 

Whether  or  not  the  town  is  justified  in  maintaining  a  class 
at  the  Newton  Street  School  is  not  a  question  pertaining  to  this 
report.  It  is  certain,  however,  that  if  the  school  is  to  be  run 
the  changes  outlined  above  are  essential  for  the  health  of  its 
children. 

Residents  of  the  Chestnut  Hill  section  have  petitioned  for  a 
primary  school  consisting  of  a  kindergarten  and  three  grades  in 
their  immediate  neighborhood.  In  December,  1916,  there  were 
children  in  the  Heath  School  in  these  grades  as  follows: 

Chestnut  Hill  Section  Heath  School  Section  Total  in  Heath  School 

Kindergarten 14       Kindergarten 24  Kindergarten.  ...     38 

Grade  1 16       Grade  1 22       Grade  1 38 

Grade  II 12       Grade  II 24      Grade  II 36 

Grade  III 20      Grade  III 19    .  Grade  III 39 

To  separate  the  children  of  these  grades  as  proposed  while  the 
numbers  remain  approximately  as  at  present  would  diminish  the 
efficiency  of  the  work  and  thus  subtract  from  the  advantage  which 
the  children  of  these  classes  now  enjoy.  Classes  of  approximate 
size  are  now  possible  consisting  of  a  single  grade.  This  would  no 
longer  be  true  if  the.  proposed  primary  school  were  opened,  but  a 
mixing  of  grades  would  be  necessary.  The  time  may  come  when 
the  petition  can  be  granted  without  detriment  to  the  interests 
of  the  children  concerned,  but  in  the  opinion  of  the  Survey  Staff 
that  time  has  not  yet  come. 

Complaint  is  made  that  the  children  suffer  inconvenience  in 
making  the  trip  to  and  from  school.  If  this  is  true,  a  remedy  may 
easily  be  found  in  changing  the  mode  of  transportation.  Motor- 
driven  barges  are  now  on  the  market  which  provide  for  warmth 
and  complete  protection  from  inclement  weather,  while  making 
such  speed  as  greatly  to  reduce  the  time  required  for  the  trip. 


172  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

It  is  here  recommended  that  the  organization  of  a  separate 
primary  school  for  the  Chestnut  Hill  section  be  not  undertaken  at 
the  present  time. 

Junior  High  School. 

In  other  of  the  Brookline  Survey  reports  the  suggestion  has 
been  made  that  a  Junior  High  School  should  be  established.  This 
plan  would  take  away  from  the  grammar  schools  some  of  the 
upper  grades,  house  them  in  a  central  building,  and  make  their 
former  rooms  available  to  Brookline  children  who  now  attend  the 
Lawrence,  Longwood  and  Cabot  Schools,  all  of  which  are  unsuit- 
able. 

It  will  probably  be  desirable  to  locate  the  new  Junior  High 
School  building  on  the  same  square  as  the  Senior  High  School, 
Manual  Training  building,  gymnasium  and  bath  house,  because 
this  location  would  make  it  possible  for  students  to  use  the  Manual 
Training  building  for  shop  work.  It  may  also  prove  desirable, 
upon  the  advice  of  a  competent  heating  and  ventilating  engineer, 
to  connect  the  Junior  High  School  building  with  the  central  heating 
plant. 

The  Junior  High  School  should  be  independent  of  other 
organizations  in  rooms  and  equipment.  That  is,  it  should  have 
an  auditorium  of  its  own,  instead  of  being  obUged  to  use  that  of 
the  Senior  High  School.  There  should  be  two  gymnasiums  so 
that  classes  of  boys  and  girls  can  be  conducted  simultaneously 
without  being  obliged  to  adjust  periods  to  the  already  overcrowded 
schedule  of  the  public  gymnasium.  In  the  same  way  the  new 
building  should  include  hbrary  and  study  room,  lunchroom,  rest 
rooms,  dispensary,  etc.,  for  the  sole  use  of  Junior  High  School 
students. 

Manual  Training  Building. 

The  Manual  Training  Building  was  originally  planned  to  be 
a  three-story  structure.  In  order  to  accommodate  students  of 
the  Junior  High  School  it  will  probably  be  necessary  to  add  the 
third  story  within  a  comparatively  short  time.  An  earlier  section 
has  pointed  out  the  imperative  necessity  of  planning  this  addition 


School  Buildings  and  Equipment  173 

in  such  a  way  that  every  classroom  will  receive  adequate  light. 
If  the  plan  of  the  first  two  stories  is  followed  it  will  be  impossible 
to  secure  satisfactory  lighting  conditions.  It  is  urged  that  the 
most  careful  attention  be  given  this  matter,  and  that  plans  be 
submitted  to  expert  scrutiny  before  building  operations  are  under- 
taken. 

More  careful  safeguards  must  be  taken  against  fire.  The 
entire  first  floor  should  be  made  of  concrete  or  other  fireproof 
material,  and  at  least  one  additional  stairway  placed  at  the 
east  end  of  the  building  in  an  isolated  fireproof  stair  tower,  so  that 
it  may  serve  both  as  an  additional  stairway  and  as  a  means  of 
escape  in  case  of  fire. 

Senior  High  School. 

There  is  no  way  of  remaking  the  old  high  school  building  sa 
that  it  will  give  satisfactory  service.  No  scheme  of  cutting  class- 
rooms in  two  or  partitioning  off  the  ends  of  corridors  can  be  satis- 
factory because  the  original  plan  did  not  contemplate  or  allow  for 
such  changes.  The  heating  and  ventilating  in  such  classrooms  as 
have  been  added  in  this  way  is  and  always  must  be  unsatisfactory, 
and  effective  lighting  cannot  be  secured  so  long  as  the  old  walls 
remain  standing.  Money  invested  in  the  present  building  beyond 
that  which  is  necessary  to  render  it  temporarily  habitable  wiU  be 
an  exceedingly  unprofitable  investment. 

As  soon  as  the  Junior  High  School  is  built  first-year  high  school 
classes  will  be  transferred  to  it,  and  the  over-crowded  conditions 
in  the  present  high  school  building  will  be  greatly  reheved.  As 
soon  as  possible  after  the  transfer  of  these  pupils,  certain  rooms 
where  light  and  ventilation  are  most  seriously  deficient,  should  be 
closed  for  regular  class  purposes.  One  of  these  should  be  made 
into  a  teachers'  rest  room,  and  another  into  a  rest  room  for  girl 
students.  All  lockers  should  be  removed  from  classrooms,  and 
places  found  for  them  elsewhere.  Better  provision  should  be 
made  for  the  disposal  of  outside  wraps.  An  iron  fire  escape  of 
modern  design  should  be  installed  near  each  end  of  the  building. 
With  these  changes  the  present  building  may  be  continued  in  use 
until  a  new  one  can  be  built. 


174  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

Brookline  should  begin  the  erection  of  a  new  Senior  High 
School  building  within  the  next  five  years.  Since  the  same  loca- 
tion is  probably  desirable,  it  will  be  necessary  to  plan  the  building 
in  sections  and  put  up  one  part  at  a  time,  so  that  class  work  will 
not  be  interrupted. 

It  is  essential  in  planning  a  new  school  building  to  proidde 
for  school  activities  as  they  will  actually  be  carried  on.  It  is 
extravagant  to  provide  classrooms  holding  50  students  if  only  20 
students  are  to  be  taught  there.  Classrooms  in  elementary 
schools  are  all  of  the  same  size  because,  as  at  present  organized, 
most  elementary  teachers  have  almost  40  pupils  each,  but  in  the 
high  school  classes  are  apt  to  vary  all  the  way  from  16  or  20  to  40, 
depending  upon  the  particular  method  of  administration  followed. 

In  the  report  of  the  Special  Committee  on  High  School  and 
Manual  Training  School  Accommodations  there  is  an  attempt  in 
Appendix  V  to  find  out  how  much  each  classroom  in  the  high  school 
was  actually  used.  This  is  a  step  in  the  right  direction;  and  a 
similar,  although  somewhat  more  detailed,  study  should  be  made 
of  class  schedules  under  the  Senior  High  School  plan  in  order  to 
furnish  the  architect  with  data  so  that  he  may  secure  the  most 
economical  arrangement  of  floor  space,  and  make  allowance  for 
future  growth. 

Building  Policy  Needed. 

If  the  recommendations  of  this  report  are  carried  out  they 
will  entail  rather  elaborate  and  extended  building  activity. 
Early  and  positive  action  is  necessary  if  BrookUne  is  to  secure  a 
school  plant  of  which  she  need  not  be  ashamed.  The  School  Com- 
mittee should  map  out  a  definite  building  poKcy  covering  at  least 
the  next  five  years,  and  steps  should  be  taken  to  insure  that  it  will 
be  carried  through.     This  plan  should  include  provisions  for: 

1.  Securing  the  services  of  an  architect  who  specializes  on 
school  buildings  and  is  of  recognized  high  standing  in  this  branch 
of  his  profession. 

2.  Erection  of  a  Junior  High  School  building. 

3.  Repairs  and  alterations  on  Elementary,  Manual  Training 
and  Senior  High  School  buildings  to  render  them  sanitary  and  safe. 


School  Buildings  and  Equipment  175 

4.  Erection  of  a  new  elementary  school  to  take  the  place  of 
Sewall,  Parsons  and  Lincoln. 

5.  Erection  of  a  Senior  High  School. 

6.  Addition  of  a  third  floor  to  the  Manual  Training  building. 

Nothing  is  here  recommended  beyond  what  would  be  con- 
sidered essential  in  any  like  community  of  well-to-do  people. 
By  reason  of  her  exceptional  wealth,  Brookline  can  carry  out 
an  extensive  building  program  with  the  minimum  of  embarassment. 
If  she  is  walling  to  give  thought  and  money  and  energy  to  solving 
her  building  problem,  she  can  within  a  decade  take  her  place  as 
the  leader  among  the  really  progressive  communities  in  the  United 
States. 


CHAPTER  V. 

SCHOOL  POPULATION. 

The  School  Census. 

As  has  been  shown  in  Chapter  I,  the  number  of  young  people 
in  Brookline  is  unusually  small,  in  fact,  the  smallest  proportion 
of  all  cities  in  the  two  groups  chosen  for  comparison  according 
to  the  United  States  Census  for  1910  —  12.9  per  cent  for  those 
from  five  to  14  years  inclusive,  and  19.3  for  all  below  15  years 
of  age.* 

The  school  census  of  Brookline  has  been  taken  annually 
upon  September  1  for  many  years.  For  1915  the  census  age 
was  changed  by  law  from  five  to  14,  inclusive,  to  five  to  15,  in- 
clusive. Owing  to  a  later  law,  revising  the  plan  for  the  taking 
of  the  census  and  changing  the  time  from  September  to  April, 
no  census  was  taken  in  September,  1916.  The  data  for  each 
census  from  1901  to  1915,  inclusive,  are  furnished  in  Table  1. 
The  census  figures  for  1915  are  for  the  years  from  five  to  14, 
inclusive,  in  order  that  proper  comparison  may  be  made. 

It  will  be  observed  from  a  study  of  Table  1  and  its  accom- 
panying diagram  that  the  increases  in  enrollment  and  in  average 
membership  in  the  day  schools  are  more  even  than  the  increase 
in  the  census.  This  is  due,  undoubtedly,  to  the  omission  of  some 
children  or  more  likely  the  omission  of  more  children  at  one  time 
than  at  another.  More  will  be  said  about  this  matter  in  another 
connection. 

This  table  also  reveals  the  wide  difference  between  the  per- 
centage of  increase  in  total  population  and  in  school  population 
during  the  past  15  years.     The  former  was  68  per  cent  (from 

*The  school  census  and  United  States  Census  do  not  agree  upon  the 
number  of  children  five  to  14  in  1910.  The  school  census  figure  is  3740; 
the  United  States  Census  358S  —  a  difference  of  155.  Even  so,  the  conclusion 
regarding  the  small  proportion  of  children  still  holds. 

176 


The  School  Population 


177 


TABLE  NO. 

1. 

Census, 

Enrollment  and  Avj 

ERAGE 

JVTembership  1899-1916. 

. 

A 

n/r      K 

L.-„ 

Children  Enrollment 

Ji 

iverage  . 

Ale7noershvy 
-Elementary  Schi 

-i/i7 

' 

School 

of  School 

of  Day  All  Day 

High 

Grades 

Grades  Kinder- 

Year 

Age 

Schools 

Schools 

Schools 

Total 

IV -IX 

I-III 

garten 

1899-1900 

3032 

3604 

3000 

319 

2681 

1384 

976 

321 

1900-1901 

3060 

3635 

3084 

326 

2758 

1501 

912 

345 

1901-1902 

3193 

3703 

3189 

346 

2500 

1533 

967 

343 

1902-1903 

3309 

3883 

3358 

373 

2985 

1637 

1017 

331 

1903-1904 

3396 

4024 

3547 

391 

3156 

1726 

1067 

363 

1904-1905 

3486 

4194 

3686 

424 

3262 

1727 

1154 

381 

1905-1906 

3611 

4247 

3682 

433 

2914 

1803 

nil 

335 

1906-1907 

3614 

4307 

3755 

424 

3331 

1869 

1117 

345 

1907-1908 

3619 

4274 

3750 

496 

3254 

1859 

1046 

349 

1908-1909 

3656 

4268 

3770 

527 

2890 

1882 

1008 

353 

1909-1910 

3740 

4191 

3590 

514 

3176 

1834 

1020 

322 

1910-1911 

3798 

4298 

3744 

542 

3202 

1833 

1045 

,324 

1911-1912 

3878 

4273 

3752 

528 

3224 

1828 

1081 

315 

1912-1913 

3958 

4470 

3874 

529 

3345 

1908 

1077 

340 

1913-1914 

3956 

4567 

3970 

608 

3362 

1931 

1099 

332 

1914-1915 

4107* 

4702 

4140 

717 

3423 

1962 

1115 

346 

1915-1916 



4787 

4193 

760 

3433 

1978 

1107 

348 

19,935  in  1900  to  33,490  in  1915)  while  the  latter  was  but  36  per 
cent  (from  3032  to  4107). 

The  census  for  1915  in  detail  is  as  follows: 


TABLE 

NO. 

2. 

School  Census  BROOKLINE, 

1915. 

Ages 

Boys 

Girls 

Total 

5  and  6 

350 

365 

715 

7  to  13 

1446 

1478 

2924 

14  and  15 

430 

420 

850 

Totals 


2226 


2263 


4489 


*The  census  for  this  year  was  4889.  In  the  previous  census,  1914,  8.5% 
were  15  years  of  age.  Assuming  the  same  per  cent  were  of  this  age  in  1915, 
we  obtain  4107  as  the  number  five  to  15  years  of  age. 


178  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

Census  and  Enrollment. 

It  is  impossible  to  state  with  accuracy  from  the  data  available 
how  many  of  the  children  of  school  age  actually  attended  the 
public  schools,  how  many  attended  other  schools,  and  how  many 
attended  no  school  at  all  during  all  or  any  of  these  years. 

The  number  attending  private  schools  in  November,  1916, 
was,  so  far  as  reported,  as  follows: 

St.  Mary's  Parochial  School,  Brookhne 654 

Miss  Park's  School,  Brookline 85 

Longwood  Day  School,  Brookline 34 

Mr.  River's  Open  Air  School,  Brookhne 15 

Noble  and  Greenough's  School,  Boston 32 

Brimmer  School  (Miss  Cummings),  Boston ; 29 

Miss  Cushman's,  Chestnut  Hill,  Newton 48 

Country  Day  School,  Newton :  .  26 

Fessenden  School,  West  Newton 3 

Total 926 

For  the  purpose  of  reaching  the  closest  practical  accounting 
of  Brookline's  children  with  such  data  as  are  at  hand,  the  number 
of  children  of  school  age,  five  to  15,  inclusive,  upon  September 
1,  1916,  may  be  assumed  to  be  as  many  more  than  in  September, 
1915,  as  the  average  annual  pel*  cent  of  increase  from  1900  to 
1915  —  ?.35  per  cent.  This  gives  4593  as  the  estimated  number 
of  census  children  at  the  beginning  of  the  present  school  year. 
We  know  positively  that  3075  pupils  in  the  elementary  schools 
and  154  in  the  high  school  enrolled  up  to  November,  1916,  were 
of  these  ages.  Assuming  that  one-half  of  the  kindergarten 
children  were  five  years  old  upon  the  census  date,  141  must  be 
added  to  the  above  figures,  making  a  total  of  3370  of  census  age. 
Assuming  that  the  number  of  non-residents  is  the  same  as 
last  year,  and  subtracting  the  171  in  the  elementary  schools,  leaves 
3191  as  the  approximate  number  of  Brookhne  children  of  census 
age  in  the  pubhc  schools.  To  this  number  should  be  added 
those  who  will  enter  late;  250  would  be  a  fair  estimate  as  de- 
termined by  previous  years'  records,  bringing  the  number  up 
to  3441.     Now  if  to  this  estimated  total  enrollment  in  the  public 


The  School  Population  179 

schools  of  children  who  were  in  Brookline  upon  September  1, 
1916,  be  added  the  total  enrollment  of  Brookhne  children  in  the 
parochial  and  private  schools,  926,  increased  by  70  for  late  en- 
rollment to  996,  it  follows  that  approximately  4437  of  ap- 
proximately 4592  census  children  will  be  in  school  at  some  time 
during  the  year.  Possibly  75  may  hold  working  certificates, 
which  still  leaves  a  balance  of  80  to  be  accounted  for  by  legal 
exemption  or  otherwise. 

From  this  it  may  be  tentatively  concluded  that  probably 
practically  all  of  Brookhne's  children  of  school  age  are  enrolled 
in  some  school  during  the  school  year  except  those  legally  em- 
ployed or  exempted  from  attendance. 

Distribution  of  the  Enrollment. 

The  next  question  that  naturally  arises  concerns  the  dis- 
tribution of  this  enrollment  among  the  various  departments  and 
grades  of  the  school.  Referring  to  Table  No.  1  and  its  accom- 
panying diagram,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  average  membership 
of  all  schools  and  the  school  census  have  increased  practically 
together,  but  that  such  would  not  have  been  the  case  had  it 
not  been  for  the  increased  membership  in  the  high  schools.  For 
the  average  membership  in  the  elementary  schools  falls  a  trifle 
short  of  increasing  as  rapidly  as  the  census  children,  while  that 
of  the  kindergarten  has  failed  in  an  unusual  degree  to  do  so. 
In  fact,  their  increase  from  1900  to  1915  was  less  than  one  per 
cent,  while  that  of  Grades  I  to  IX  was  30  per  cent,  and  of  the 
high  school  125  per  cent.  The  increase  in  school  population  was 
36  per  cent. 

The  distribution  of  the  pupils  among  the  various  grades  in 
the  elementary  schools,  high  schools,  and  School  of  Practical 
Arts,  taking  those  who  had  been  enrolled  up  to  Nov^^mber  3, 
1916,  is  shown  in  Table  No.  3. 

The  pupils  of  the  elementary  grades  are  distributed  among 
12  buildings  with  number  of  grades,  classes  and  pupils  as  given 
in  the  accompanying  table.  The  data  are  for  November  24, 
1916,  and  represent  fairly  well  the  maximum  size  of  classes. 
The  elementary  buildings  are  divided  into  six  groups,  each  with 
a  grammar  school  and  followed  by  such  primary  schools  as  are 


180 


School  Survey  of  Brookline 


feeders  to  it.     The  Devotion  and  Pierce  Schools  have  no  primary 
schools  connected  with  them  in  this  way. 


TABLE  NO.  3. 

Enrollment  of  the  Schools  of 

BROOKLINE. 

Per  cent 

Grade 

EnrollmpMl 

of  Total 

-     I 

364 

10.0 

II 

371 

10.0 

III 

321 

8.0 

IV 

367 

10.0 

V 

379 

10.0 

VI 

331 

9.0 

VII 

-346 

9.0 

VIII 

311 

8.0 

IX 

290 

8.0 

Total 

3080 

82.0 

X     * 

235 

6.0 

XI 

212 

5.5 

XII 

160 

4.0 

XIII 

97 

2.5 

Total 

704 

18.0 

Total  elementary  and  high 

3784 
TABLE  NO.  4. 

100.0 

Distribution  of  Pupils  among  Buildings,  Grades, 

AND 

Classes  in  Elementary  Schools. 

Membership 

Average 

Buildings                Grades 

Classes 

at  Date 

per  Class 

Devotion                          I-IX 

18 

600 

33 

Heath                              I-IX 

9 

335 

37 

Newton                    I-III 

3 

10 

33 

Lincoln                             I-IX 

15 

484 

32 

Parsons                    I-II 

2 

52 

26 

Sewell 

3 

91 

30 

Pierce                              I-IX 

19 

665 

35 

Runkle                           I-IX 

11 

411 

37 

DriscoU                    I-VI 

6 

216 

36 

Lawrence                         IV-IX 

6 

213 

36 

Cabot                      I-III 

3 

73 

24 

Longwood                I-III 

3 

82 

27 

Totals 


98 


3  332 


33 


The  School  Population  181 

Number  Pupils  per 


indergarten 

of  Teachers 

Membership 

Teach 

Devotion 

2 

33 

17 

Heath 

2 

38 

19 

Lincoln 

2 

39 

20 

Parsons 

3 

46 

16 

Sewall 

2 

23 

12 

Pierce 

2 

39 

20 

DriscoU 

2 

24 

12 

Cabot 

2 

25 

13 

High  School 

2 

18 

9 

Totals  19  285  15 

The  average  size  of  the  classes  in  the  elementary  schools 
as  shown  in  the  above  tables  is  favorable  to  the  Brookline  schools. 
In  order  to  accomplish  the  best  results  it  is  commonly  beUeved 
that  classes  should  not  have  more  than  30  pupils.  While  the 
figures  above  show  that  practically  70  per  cent  of  the  classes 
exceed  this  standard,  yet  when  the  principals  in  each  of  the  six 
grammar  schools  and  the  general  assistants  in  four  others  are 
reckoned  as  among  those  teaching  the  average  number  of  pupils 
per  teacher  is  reduced  to  30,  which  has  been  the  standard  in 
Brookline  for  the  past  few  years.  Of  the  95  classes  one  has  less 
than  20  pupils,  24  have  20  to  29,  52  have  30  to  39,  and  18  have 
40  to  47.     The  Newton  School  is  not  included  in  this  summary. 

Attendance. 

The  record  of  the  BrookUne  schools  in  the  matter  of  attend- 
ance of  those  enrolled  is  low  when  compared  with  schools  of 
other  Massachusetts  towns  of  the  same  group.  Of  the  70  towns, 
Brookhne  is  one  of  eight  in  1912-13  having  the  lowest  per  cent  of 
attendance.  In  the  following  year  five  had  a  lower  percentage 
and  17  others  the  same. 

The  reason  for  this  low  standing  is  poor  attendance  in  certain 
schools.  The  records  for  several  schools  are  high.  In  1915-16 
one-half  the  pupils  in  the  Lincoln  and  Pierce  Schools  attended  over 
180  of  the  187  days.  Applying  this  same  standard,  number  of 
days  attended  by  one-half  the  pupils,  to  schools  upon  the  other 


182 


School  Survey  of  Brookline 


extreme  it  is  found  that  the  record  of  the  Cabot  School  was  30 
days  less;  of  the  Driscoll,  24  days  less;  of  the  Longwood,  18  days 
less;  and  of  the  Runkle  and  Parsons  15  days  less.  The  record  for 
each  of  the  schools  is  as  follows : 


TA 

BLE  NC 

).  5. 

DiAN  Number 

OF  Days  Attended   by   Pupils   Enrolled 

1915-16, 

School 

Median 

School                          Median 

Lincoln 

180.8 

Newton                        167.5 

Pierce 

180.1 

Runkle                         165.8 

Heath 

178.7 

, 

Parsons                        165.5 

Devotion 

175.7 

Longwood                    162.8 

Lawrence 

172.3 

Driscoll                        156.8 

Sewall 

170.9 

Cabot                           150.4 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that  the  schools  having  the  poorest 
records  are  attended  by  the  children  of  the  more  intelligent  and 
well-to-do  parents,  while  the  three  schools  at  the  head  of  the  list 
are  in  the  less-favored  residential  sections  of  the  town.  It  would 
seem  that  much  of  the  absence  is  unnecessary  and  the  School 
Committee  would  be  warranted  in  taking  such  action  through  its 
Superintendent,  principals,  and,  if  necessary,  the  attendance 
officer,  as  would  correct  this  situation. 


Ages  at  Which  Pupils  will  Complete  this  Schooling. 
The  next  question  for  our  consideration  is  whether  the  pupils 
are  making  such  progress  through  the  schools  as  will  enable  them 
to  have  the  amount  of  education  which  is  considered  desirable 
before  they  quit  school  permanently.  In  order  to  answer  this 
question  the  standards  for  age  in  each  grade  that  have  come  to  be 
accepted  must  be  applied.  These  standards  are  arranged  so  as 
to  provide  for  the  completion  of  the  elementary  school  before  the 
pupil  reaches  the  age  of  fifteen.  The  standard  or  normal  ages 
given  below  are  adjusted  to  the  nine-year  elementary  school 
course.  If  a  pupil  enters  or  completes  a  grade  within  the  age 
limits  specified  as  normal  and  continues  to  make  the  usual  progress 


The  School  Population  183 

of  one  grade  each  year,  he  will  then  have  completed  the  elementary 
school  sometime  between  his  fourteenth  and  fifteenth  birthdays. 


TABLE  NO.  6. 

Normal  Age. 

Grade 

For  entering  grade 

For  completing  grade 

I 

5  years  up  to    6 

6  years  up  to    7 

II 

6  years  up  to    7 

7  years  up  to    8 

III 

7  years  up  to    8 

8  years  up  to    9 

IV 

8  years  up  to    9 

9  years  up  to  10 

V 

9  years  up  to  10 

10  years  up  to  11 

VI 

10  years  up  to  11 

11  years  up  to  12 

VII 

11  years  up  to  12 

12  years  up  to  13 

VIII 

12  years  up  -to  13 

13  years  up  to  14 

IX 

13  years  up  to  14 

14  years  up  to  15 

X 

14  years  up  to  15 

15  years  up  to  16 

XI 

15  years  up  to  16 

16  years  up  to  17 

XII 

16  years  up  to  17 

17  years  up  to  18 

XIII 

17  years  up  to  18 

18  years  up  to  19 

The  standards  used  hereafter  in  this  study  are,  of  course, 
those  for  entering  the  grade  and  the  ages  recorded  are  those  of 
September  1,  in  accordance  with  the  prevailing  practice. 

The  data  for  this  study  were  gathered  by  the  teachers  from 
the  cumulative  individual  record  cards  —  the  so-called  "blue 
cards"  —  and  the  ages  given  are  those  there  recorded.  In  the 
high  school,  however,  because  of  the  absence  of  such  cards,  the 
pupils  were  relied  upon  for  the  statement  of  their  ages  and  also 
for  the  years  in  school.  The  pupils  in  the  School  of  Practical  Arts 
are  not  included. 

The  great  differences  between  schools  in  these  respects  are 
striking.  Inasmuch  as  the  lower  grades  have  fewer  over-age  pupils 
and  likewise  fewer  under-age  pupils  than  the  upper  grades,  it  is 
best  for  comparative  purposes  to  group  the  buildings  together, 
merging  each  primary  school  with  the  grammar  school  to  which  it 
sends  its  children.  The  tables  showing  these  schools,  thus  com- 
bined together  with  the  age  data  by  grades,  follow.  The  data  for 
each  school  separately  are  furnished  in  the  Appendix,  Table  No.  8. 


iz 


184 


School  Survey  of  Brookline 


TABLE  NO.  7. 

Number  and  Per  Cent  of  Pupils  Who  are  Over  Age, 

Normal  Age  and  Under  Age  by  Groups  of 

Buildings  and  of  Grades,  1916-17. 


11 

1^ 

1^ 

1 

Devotion 

577 
337 
592 
651 
606 
317 

49 
4 
10 
25 
33 
17 

236 
109 
245 

277 
240 
118 

292 
224 
337 
349 
333 
182 

8.5 
1.0 
2.0 
4.0 
5.0 
5.5 

41.0 
32.5 
41.0 
42.5 
40.0 
37.5 

50  5 

Heath  and  Newton 

Lincoln,  Parsons,  Sewall. .  . . 
Pierce 

66.5 
57.0 
53.5 

Runkle  and  DriscolL ..;... 
Lawrence,  Cabot,  Longvv'ood 

55  0 
57.0 

Total                      .    . . 

3080 

138 

1225 

1717 

1st  Grade      

364 
371 
321 
367 
379 
331 
346 
311 
290 

0 

8 
11 
16 
14 
16 
21 
31 
21 

221 
194 
132 
127 
118 
102 
125 
105 
100 

143 
169 
178 
224 
247 
213 
200 
175 
169 

2.0 
3.5 
4.0 
4.0 
5.0 
5.0 
10.0 
7.0 

60.5 
52.5 
41.0 
35.0 
31.0 
31.0 
36.0 
34.0 
34.5 

39  5 

2nd  Grade 

45.5 

3rd  Grade      

55.5 

4th  Grade 

61.0 

5th  Grade 

65.0 

6th  Grade 

64.0 

7th  Grade 

58.0 

8th  Grade 

56.0 

9th  Grade 

58.5 

Totals^ 

3080 

138 

1224 

1718 

1st  Year  High  School 

2nd  Year  High  School 

3rd  Year  High  School.  .... 
4th  Year  High  School 

198 

196 

1.45 

97 

7 
10 
12 

2 

53 
50 
46 
35 

138 
136 

87 
60 

3.5 

HTs.o 

8.0 
2.0 

26.5 
25.0 
32.0 
36.0 

70.0 
70.0 
60.0 
62.0 

Totals                       

636 

31 

184 

421 

Grades  1  to  9 

5. 
5. 

40. 
29. 

55. 

Grades  10  to  13 

66. 

The  School  Population  185 

When  comparison  is  made  with  other  cities  for  which  com- 
parable* data  can  be  found,  it  is  learned  that  none  of  the  32  cities 
has  so  small  a  percentage  of  under-age  or  so  large  a  percentage  of 
over-age  pupils  in  its  elementary  schools.  In  other  words,  fewer 
pupils  in  Brookline  will  complete  their  common  school  education 
at  any  early  age,  and  a  larger  number  will  complete  it  at  a  later 
age  than  in  any  other  of  these  cities. 

The  position  of  Brookhne  elementary  schools  as  regards  under- 
age and  over-age  is  shown  in  the  accompanying  tables. 

TABLE  NO.  8. 

Cities  Arranged  in  Order  of  their  Rank  According  to 

Percentages   of   Pupils   in  Elementary   Schools   who 

Are    Under    Age,     Together    with    Schools    of 

Brookline.* 

Per  Cent  Per  Cent 

Cities  Under  Age  Cities  Under  Age 

1.  Quincy,  Mass 50  18.  Schenectady,  N.  Y 26 

2.  Amsterdam,  N.  Y 49  19.  Topka,  Kan 26 

3.  Syracuse,  N.  Y 42  20.  Reading,  Pa 25 

4.  Danbury,  Conn 38  21.  Muskegon,  Mich 25 

5.  Elmira,  N.  Y 38  22.  Watertown,  N.  Y 25 

6.  New  Rochelle,  N.  Y 36  23.  Elizabeth,  N.  J 23 

7.  Indianapolis,  Ind 34  24.  East  St.  Louis,  III 22 

8.  Niagara  Falls,  N.  Y 31  25.  Hazelton,  Pa 22 

9.  Trenton,  N.  J 31  26.  New  Orleans,  La  (White) .      20 

10.  Plainfield.  N.  J 30  27.  Montclair,  N.  J 18 

11.  Racine,  Wis 30  28.  Passaic,  N.  J 17 

12.  Canton,  0 28  29.  Kenosha,  Wis 16 

13.  Danville,  111 28  f  Des  Moines,  Report  1915.  1.3 

14.  Milwaukee,  Wis 28  f  Altoona,  Report  1915 13 

15.  Rockford,  111 28  t  Butte,  Survey 7 

16.  Bayonne,  N.  J 27  f  Brookline 4 

17.  Perth  Amboy,  N.  J 27 

♦Comparable  data  are  those  which  observe  the  same  normal  age  limits  as 
given  in  the  table  for  normal  age  furnished  above. 

fAll  cities  except  those  starred  are  taken  from  Ayres  study  —  Russell 
Sage  Foundations  Bulletin  108.  Corrections  of  the  Brookline  figures  because 
of  difference  in  time  at  which  data  were  gathered  do  not  alter  Brookline's 
position  materially. 


186 


School  Survey  of  Brookline 


TABLE  NO.  9. 

Cities  Arranged   in  Order   of  their  RankJAccording   to 

Percentages  of  Pupils  in  Elementary  Schools  who 

Are    Over    Age,    Together    with    Schools    of 

Brookline.* 


Cities 


Per  Cent 
Over  Age 


1.  Quincy 19 

2.  Amsterdam 28 

3. 
4. 
5. 


Racine 28 

Indianapolis 29 

Syracuse 29 

6.  Danbury 31 

7.  Milwaukee 31 

8.  Rockford 32 

9.  Canton 34 

10.  Elmira 34 

11.  New  Rochelle 34 

12.  Muskegon 35 

13.  Niagara  Falls 36 

14.  Topeka 36 

15.  Danville 38 

16.  Trenton 38 

17.  Plainfield 40 


Per  Cent 
Cities                     Over  Age 

18.  Reading 40 

19.  Perth  Amboy 41 

20.  Bayonne 42 

21.  Hazelton 42 

22.  Watertown 43 

23.  East  St.  Louis 44 

24.  Schenectady 44 

*  Des  Moines 45 

25.  Ehzabeth 46 

26.  Kenosha 48 

27.  Montclair 48 

28.  New  Orleans  ( White j 49 

*  Altoona 50 

29.  Passaic 51 

*  Butte 51 

*  Brookline 56 


*See  note  under  Table  8. 


The  significance  of  this  situation'^to  the  children  of  Brookline 
in  later  hfe  is  of  great  importance.  The  constantly  extending 
scope  and  refinement  of  knowledge,  the  ever  increasing  competi- 
tion, and  the  continual  raising  of  standards  for  entrance  into  voca- 
tions and  for  success  in  them  have  operated  to  prolong  the  length 
of  schooUng.  This  is  in  conflict  with  the  desirable  social  end  that 
preparation  for  vocations  and  apprenticeship  in  them  should  be 
completed  in  time  for  the  living  of  a  fully  satisfying  hfe  as  an 
effective  member  of  the  family  and  community.  The  completion 
of  the  elementary  school  and  the  entrance  into  the  high  school 
before  15  and  of  the  completion  of  the  high  school  and  entrance 
into  college  before  19  is  as  late  as  these  considerations  permit.     In- 


The  School  Population  187 

deed  even  this  yields  too  much  rather  than  too  Uttle.  College 
graduation  between  22  and  23  and  professional  courses  and  ap- 
prenticeship beyond  have  postponed  in  many  cases  the  gaining  of 
aplace  in  life  to  such  a  late  age  as  to  cause  heart-burnings  and 
disappointments. 

Furthermore,  experience  and  study  have  both  shown  that 
it  is  the  over-age  boy  and  girl  who  drop  out  of  school  before  com- 
pleting the  elementary  course.  Having  passed  beyond  the  period 
when  the  compulsory  laws  can  hold  them,  they  pass  out  into  life 
without  sufficient  preparation.  A  school  cannot  be  said  to  be 
doing  its  duty  to  society  unless  it  adapts  its  organization  of  classes 
and  its  Course  of  Study  to  meet  the  needs  of  this  large  class  of 
children. 

The  presence  of  over-age  children  in  the  same  class  with 
those  of  normal  and  under-age,  especially  if  the  differences  are 
large,  prevents  the  attainment  of  that  homogeneity  which  is 
essential  to  the  highest  efficiency  In  class  teaching  and  management. 

This  is  a  matter  to  which  the  School  Committee,  officers  and 
teachers  of  Brookline  should  give  serious  and  immediate  attention. 
Such  a  condition  of  affairs  is  entirely  inconsistent  with  the  stand- 
ing of  many  of  the  parents  in  literary,  professional,  commercial 
and  industrial  fife.  To  what  is  it  due?  To  what  extent  are  the 
schools  responsible? 

One  of  the  reasons  is  that  some  pupils  start  to  school  at  such 
a  late  age  that  if  they  make  the  usual  progress  it  is  impossible  for 
them  to  complete  the  elementary  course  of  nine  years  before  their 
fifteenth  birthday.  In  order  to  finish  before  this  time,  they  must 
enter  before  they  become  six  years  of  age  —  that  is  at  five.  Of 
the  pupils  in  the  elementary  schools  in  November,  1916,  approxi- 
mately 29  per  cent  entered  school  between  their  sixth  and  seventh 
birthdays,  while  4  per  cent  entered  later.  That  is  approximately 
one-third  of  the  pupils  enter  so  late  that  they  cannot  by  regular 
progress  complete  the  nine-year  elementary  school  at  or  before  the 
age  that  is  considered  desirable. 

Both  the  parents  and  the  schools  are  responsible  for  this 
lack  of  co-ordination  which  produces  this  result.  Parents  should 
start  their  children  in  time  as  required  by  the  length  of  the  Course 


188  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

of  Study  and,  on  the  other  hand,  the  school  should  adapt  the 
length  of  the  Course  of  Study  to  the  sentiment  of  the  people 
regarding  the  time  that  their  children  should  enter  school.  When 
so  large  a  proportion  as  one-third  enter  beyond  the  normal  time 
it  is  incumbent  upon  those  in  charge  of  the  schools  to  make 
such  an  adjustment  in  their  organization  as  will  enable  them  to 
make  up  time. 

The  second  reason  for  this  condition  is  that  pupils  lose  time 
through  prolonged  absence  after  entering  school.  About  14 
per  cent  of  the  pupils  in  the  elementary  schools  who  originally 
entered  on  time  have  lost  a  half  year  or  more  at  one  or  more 
times.  This  has  the  same  effect  as  late  entrance.  The  re- 
sponsibility is  again  a  shared  one  between  the  pupils  and  the 
school. 

Is  the  school  organization  adapted  to  the  making  up  of  time 
on  the  part  of  pupils  who  enter  l^te?  The  data  gathered  show 
that  of  the  47  per  cent  of  pupils  who  either  entered  late  or  lost 
time,  11  per  cent  did  gain  time,  47  per  cent  progressed  at  the  rate 
of  one  grade  each  year,  while  21  per  cent  (almost  twice  as  many 
as  those  who  gained)  made  slow  progress. 

A  third  reason  is  the  nine-year  ehnentary  school  course. 
If  the  course  were  of  eight  years  only  and  if  pupils  should  con- 
tinue to  start  to  school  at  the  same  ages  as  now,  and  if  no  more 
time  were  lost  than  now  by  prolonged  absence,  and  if  they  con- 
tinued to  progress  as  regularly,  the  per  cent  of  over-age  pupils 
in  Brookline  would  be  among  the  smallest  of  all  cities  in  the 
United  States,  and  the  number  of  under-age  pupils  would  be  among 
the  largest.  What  these  percentages  would  be  can  be  approxi- 
mated by  advancing  the  normal  age  for  each  grade  one  year 
and  applying  it  to  the  aggregate  data  for  pupils  enrolled  this  year. 
This  gives  44.4  per  cent  under  age,  and  only  19.3  per  cent  over 
age.  But  two  cities  would  have  a  larger  percentage  of  under- 
age pupils,  and  but  one  city  would  have  a  smaller  percentage 
of  over-age  pupils. 

For  the  nine-year  elementary  course  the  school  is  entirely 
responsible. 

A  fourth  reason  is  a  seemingly  strong  inclination  upon  the 


The  School  Population  189 

part  of  the  supervising  and  teaching  corps  to  advance  the  largest 
possible  number  of  pupils  regularly  one  grade  each  year.  While 
they  do  not  encourage  and  assist  many  boys  and  girls  to  get 
ahead  of  their  class,  on  the  other  hand  they  do  extend  all  possible 
assistance  and  encouragement  to  those  who  are  having  a  hard 
struggle  to  keep  up  with  their  classes.  Again  for  this  situation 
the  school  is  responsible,  and  not  the  parents.  The  results  of 
this  policy  will  be  seen  from  a  detailed  inquiry  into  the  progress 
actually  made  by  the  pupils. 

Progress  of  Pupils. 
In  the  following  data  regarding  the  progress  of  pupils  an 
advancement  of  one  grade  each  year  is  considered  as  normal. 
Any  year  in  which  a  pupil  was  absent  50  per  cent  or  more  of  his 
time  was  not  counted  in  this  study  unless  he  was  advanced  not- 
withstanding the  absence.  Furthermore  attendance  in  another 
school  system  was  charged  as  the  normal  length  of  time  that 
would  be  required  to  complete  the  work. 

TABLE  NO.   10. 

Number  and  Per  Cent  of  Pupils  Making  Rapid,  Normal  and 
Slow  Progress  by  Groups  of  Buildings  and  by  Grades, 

1916-17. 

Rapid    Normal    Slow    Rapid    Normal      Slow 
Buildings  Prog-      Prog'    Prog-     Prog-      Prog-       Prog- 


ress 

ress 

ress 

ress 

ress 

ress 

Devotion 

81 

390 

106 

14.0 

68.0 

18.0 

Heath  and  Newton 

10 

199 

128 

3.0 

59.0 

38.0 

Lincoln,  Parsons,  Sewall 

1 

445 

146 

2.0 

75.0 

24.8 

Pierce 

28 

436 

187 

4.0 

67.0 

29.0 

Runkle  and  Driscoll 

92 

451 

63 

15.0 

75.0 

10.0 

Lawrence,  Cabot,  Longwood     25  228  64  8.0        72.0        20.0 

Total  237        2149        694 


190 


School  Survey  of  Brookltne 


Rapid     Normal 

Slow 

Rapid 

Normal 

Slow 

Buildings 

Prog-      Prog- 

Prog- 

Prog- 

Prog- 

Prog- 

ress        ress 

ress 

ress 

ress 

ress 

1st  Grade 

0          323 

41 

0.0 

89.0 

11.0 

2nd  Grade 

5          305 

61 

1.5 

82.0 

16.5 

3rd  Grade 

10          234 

77 

3.0 

73.0 

24.0 

4th  Grade 

34          262 

71 

9.0 

71.0 

20.0 

5th  Grade 

31           258 

90 

8.0 

68.0 

24.0 

6th  Grade 

28          212 

91 

88.0 

64.0 

28.0 

7th  Grade 

48          191 

107 

14.0 

55.0 

31.0 

8th  Grade 

43           187 

81 

14.0 

60.0 

26.0 

9th  Grade 

41           174 

75 

14.0 

60.0 

26.0 

Totals 

240        2146 

694 

8.0 

69.0 

23.0 

1st  Year  High  School 

330          122 

46 

15.0 

61.0 

24.0 

2nd  Year  High  School 

35            93 

68 

18.0 

47.5 

34.5 

3rd  Year  High  School 

37            62 

46 

25.5 

42.5 

32.0 

4th  Year  High  School 

9            59 

29 

9.0 

61.0 

30.0 

Totals 

111           336 

189 

17.0 

53.0 

30.0 

The  data  for  each  school  separately  are 

given  in  the  Appendix 

Table  No.  9. 

TABLE  NO. 

11. 

Cities  Arranged  in  Order  of  their  Rank  According  to 

Percentages  of  Pupils  in  Elementary  Schools  who 

Have  Made  Rapid  Progress,  Together  With 

Schools  of  BROOKLINE.* 


Cities  Percentages 

1.  Amsterdam 30  16. 

*  Denver 20  * 

2.  Indianapolis 19  17. 

3.  NewRochelle 19  18. 

4.  Bayonne 18  * 

5.  Milwaukee 17  19. 

6.  East  St.  Louis 15  20. 

7.  Rockford 15  21. 

8.  Muskegon 14  22. 

9.  Passaic. 14  23. 

10.  New  Orleans  (White) 13  24. 

11.  Perth  Amboy 13  25. 

12.  Danbury 12  * 

*  Des  Moines 12  26. 

13.  Elizabeth 12  27. 

14.  Topeka 11  28. 

15.  Elmira 10  29. 

*See  note  under  Table  8. 


Cities  Percentages 

Watertown 10 

Cleveland 9 

Schenectady. .  .  : 9 

Montclair 8 

Brookline 8 

Danville 7 

Kenosha 7 

Syracuse 7 

Trenton 7 

Niagara  Falls , . .  .  6 

Plainfield 6 

Reading 6 


Altoona . 
Quincy.  . 
Hazelton 
Racine.  . 
Canton.  . 


The  School  Population  191 

TABLE  NO.    12. 

Cities  Arranged  in  Order  of  their  Rank  According  to 
Percentages  of  Pupils  in  Elementary  Schools  who 
Have  Made  Slow  Progress,  Together  with  the 
\l  Schools  of  BROOKLINE* 

Cities  Percentages  Cities  Percentages 

1.  Amsterdam 21            15.  Danville 38 

2.  Milwaukee .'     22            16.  Passaic 38 

*  Brookline 23            17.  Plainfield 38 

3.  Indianapolis 27            18.  Schenectady 39 

4.  Racine 28            19.  Syracuse 39 

5.  Rockford 29            20.  Elizabeth 40 

6.  New  Rochelle 30            21.  Watertown 41 

7.  Danbury 31            22.  Canton 43 

8.  Muskegon 31            23.  Hazelton 44 

9.  Topeka 31            24.  Quincy 44 

*  Cleveland 32            25.  Trenton 44 

*  Denver 33            26.  Montclair 45 

10.  Niagara  Falls 34            27.  Kenosha 47 

11.  Bayonne 35              *    Des  Moines 47 

12.  New  Orleans  (White) 38            28.  Reading 47 

13.  East  St.  Louis 37              *    Altoona 48 

14.  Elmira 37            29.  Perth  Amboy 49 

*See  note  under  Table  8. 


It  is  seen  in  the  preceding  tables  that  while  but  two  of  the 
34  cities  with  which  comparison  can  be  made  have  a  better  record 
than  Brookline  for  per  cent  of  slow  progress,  nevertheless  18  cities 
have  a  larger  percentage  of  pupils  who  make  rapid  advancement. 
While  this  record  of  a  small  percentage  for  slow  progress  is  com- 
mendable yet  it  would  seem  that  the  Brookline  schools  not  only 
require  their  pupils  to  pursue  a  Course  of  Study  one  year  longer 
than  that  which  is  generally  in  force  throughout  the  country, 
but  that  they  also  permit  a  smaller  number  of  them  to  make 
more  rapid  advancement  than  schools  in  other  cities.  Since  it  is 
probably  true  that  there  is  a  larger  proportion  of  bright  children 
in  Brookline  and  children  who  have  superior  home  advantages 
than  in  other  cities  this  situation  is  even  more  unfavorable  than 
the  figures  taken  above  indicate. 


192  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

This  small  percentage  of  those  making  slow  progress  on  the 
one  hand,  and  the  large  percentage  of  over-age  children  on  the 
other,  is  to  be  accounted  for  by  (1)  the  large  percentage  entering 
late  (33  per  cent),  (2)  the  large  percentage  losing  time  by  ab- 
sences of  one-half  year  or  over  (14  per  cent),  and  (3)  the  strongly 
intrenched  habit  of  advancing  pupils  regularly  one  year  at  a 
time  irrespective  of  age  or  ability.  No  other  city  equals  Brook- 
line  in  the  percentage  of  regular  progress.  While  not  to  be 
strongly  commended  in  any  school  where  selection  of  pupils  of 
peculiar  homogeneous  traits  and  needs  is  not  made  or  where 
wide  variation  in  the  Course  of  Study  for  individual  pupils  does 
not  occur,  uniform  and  regular  progress  is  not  a  good  thing  in 
schools  in  which  there  is  such  variety  of  entrance  ages  and  where 
the  course  is  longer  than  the  usual  one,  as  is  true  in  Brookline. 
As  conditions  are  now  in  BrookUne  a  healthy,  normal  boy  or  girl 
who  enters  the  BrookUne  schools  at  five  and  continues  regular 
in  attendance  has  about  one  chance  in  20  of  making  up  a  year. 

The  relative  standing  of  the  various  elementary  school  groups 
affords  an  interesting  and  profitable  study.  The  schools  are 
arranged  in  the  order  of  their  rank  in  each  of  the  respects  studied 
in  the  following  table. 

TABLE  NO.  13. 

Relative  Position  of  Various  Groups  of  Buildings  as 

Regards  Under  Age,  Over  Age,  Rapid  Progress,  and 

Slow  Progress  of  Pupils. 

Under  Age ^ Over  Age- 


Rank       Schools                   Per  Cent  Rank  Schools              Per  Cent 

1  Devotion.  . 8.5  1     Devotion 50.5 

2  Lawrence,     Cabot     and  2     Pierce 53.5 

Longwood 5.5  3  Runkle  and  DriscoU. . .  .  55.0 

3  Runkle  and  Driscoll ....  5.5  4  Lincoln,    Parsons     and    M| 

4  Pierce 4.0  Sewall 57.0 

5  Lincoln,     Parsons      and  5  Lawrence,     Cabot     and 

Sewall 2.0  Longwood 57.0 

6  Heath  and  Newton LO  6  Heath  and  Newton.  . .  .  66.0 


The  School  Population  193 


Rapid  Progress "- Slow  Progress- 


Rank                Schools           Per  Cent  Rank  Schools              Per  Cent 

1  Runkle  and  Driscoll 15.0  1     Runkle  and  Driscoll 10.0 

2  Devotion 14.0  2     Devotion 18.0 

3  Lawrence,     Cabot     and  3  Lawrence,    Cabot     and 

Longwood 8.0  Longwood 20.0 

4  Pierce 4.0  4  Lincoln,     Parsons      and 

.5     Heath  and  Newton 3.0  Sewall 25.0 

6     Lincoln,     Parsons      and  ^     5     Pierce 29.0 

Sewall 2.0     .      '     6  Heath  and  Newton. ....  39.0 

The  sum  of  the  ranks  is  as  follows:  Devotion,  6;  Runkle  and 
Driscoll,  8;  Lawrence,  Cabot  and  Longwood,  13;  Pierce,  15; 
Lincoln,  Parsons  and  Sewall,  19;  Heath  and  Newton,  23. 

The  unusually  high  record  made  by  the  three  highest  schools 
as  regards  slow  progress  is  commended.  There  is  not  a  single 
city  in  the  group  studied  that  equals  the  Runkle  and  Driscoll, 
the  Devotion,  and  the  Lawrence,  Cabot  and  Longwood  groups 
in  their  low  percentages  of  people  making  slow  progress.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  wide  disparity  between  schools  is  strikingly 
apparent  in  these  tables.  Why  should  one  school  group  have 
one-fourth  as  many  under-age  and  four  times  as  many  slow-progress 
pupils  as  another,  or  15  times  more  children  making  rapid  prog- 
ress? The  Survey  Committee  believes  that  it  should  be  possible 
to  bring  up  the  lower  standing  schools  more  nearly  to  schools 
which  excel,  both  as  regards  rapid  progress  and  slow  progress. 

The  reasons  for  this  condition  of  affairs,  in  addition  to  what 
has  been  said  above,  are  to  be  found  in  the  following :  ,  y 

(1)  The  short  school  day.  Pupils  are  not  so  long  under  the 
care  of  teachers  and  so  there  is  not  so  much  time  to  give  to  the 
attention  of  individual  pupils,  but  this  is  offset,  in  part  at  least, 
by  the  small  size  of  classes. 

(2)  The  organization  of  pupils  into  classes.  Classes  are  not 
organized  according  to  the  ability  of  pupils.  The  exceptionally 
capable  and  the  mentally  deficient  are  in  the  same  class  with 
average  pupils,  except  that  in  the  Lincoln  School  there  is  one 
class  which  is  in  part  of  backward  pupils. 

(3)  Individual  instruction  upon  the  part  of  the  regular 
teachers  and  additional  assistance  by  an  unassigned  or  coaching 


194  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

teacher  has  not  been  developed  to  full  efficiency.  While  there 
are  four  such  teachers,  much  of  their  time  is  devoted  to  other 
duties. 

Elimination  of  Pupils  from  School. 
The  Brookline  schools  hold  the  children  in  school  to  a  later 
age  than  do  most  schools.  Their  success  in  this  respect  is  apparent 
from  the  tables  given  on  previous  pages  showing  enrollment  in 
the  various  grades  and  the  percentages  of  under-age,  normal-age 
and  over-age  pupils,  Tables  Nos.  3  and  7.  The  distribution  of 
the  total  enrollment  by  ages  given  below  makes  it  even  more  clear. 

TABLE  NO.   14. 

Distribution  of  Pupils  by  Age. 
Ages  Number  Per  Cent  of  Total 

5  230  6.2 

6  ,   326      .        8.8 

7  307  8.3 

8  309  8.3 

9  328  8.9 

10  333  9.0 

11  345  9.3 

12  328  8.9 

13  303  8.2 

14  235  6.3 

15  242  6.5 

16  183  4.9 

17  152  4.1 

18  81  2.2 

19  22  

20  6  

21  1  


Totals  3731  100.0 


The  School  Population 


195 


TABLE  NO.  15. 

The  estimated  percentages  of  those  entering  who  are  retained 
to  each  age  are  given  together  with  the  same  figures  for  Cleveland 
and  Salt  Lake. 


Continuing 
to  Age 
13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 
21 


Per  Cent 

Per  Cent 

Brookline 

Cleveland 

93 

97 

72 

83 

74 

53 

56 

33 

47 

21 

25 

12 

7 

4 

2 

1 

Per  Cent 
Salt  Lake 

93 

84 

67 

36 

26 

17 
7 
1 


196 


School  Survey  of  Brookline 


TABLE  NO.  16. 

Not  taking  into  account  repeaters  or  those  coming  in  from 
outside  of  Boston,  and  not  including  the  School  of  Practical  Arts, 
it  is  estimated  that  of  the  total  number  entering  school  the  follow- 
ing percentage  of  pupils  reach  the  grades  indicated.  Similar 
figures  are  given  for  Cleveland  and  Salt  Lake. 


Grade 
V 
VI 
VII 
VIII 
IX 
X 
XI 
XII 
XIII 


lOOKLINE 

Cleveland 

100 

99 

100 

93 

100 

80 

92 

63 

89 

41 

61 

29 

61 

21 

U 

19 

30 

19 

Salt  Lake 
100 
100 

80 

76 

42 

27 

18 

13 


bRDOKLlNE 


V  CLEVELAND 
UKE, 


The  School  Population 


197 


-  More  pupils  left  the  elementary  public  schools  between  June, 
1915,  and  June,  1916,  to  go  to  private  schools  than  to  go  to  work. 
The  distribution  by  buildings  and  by  grades  is  shown  in  the  follow- 
ing tables: 

TABLE  NO.  17. 

Left  for  Private  Schools,  1915-16. 


■1 

1 

o 

1 

O 

1 

O 

1 

1 
o 

1 

a 

o 

00 

1 

o 

OS 

"3 
1 

5 

1 

1 

6 

1 

•• 

1 

7 

•• 

1 

8 

1 

2 

4 

9 

2 

•• 

2  ' 

10 

1 

• 

•• 

1 

11 

1 

1 

•• 

3 

12 

1 

o 

2 

6 

13 

3 

1 

4 

14 

2 

4 

6 

15 

2 

1 

2 

5 

16 

17 

• 

" 

Total 

2 

2 

3 

5 

2 

6 

5 

3 

6 

34 

198 


School  Survey  of  Brookline 


TABLE  NO.  18. 
Left  for  Work,  1915-16. 


<0 

< 

1 

1 

0) 

1 

a 

1 

05 

o 

2 
o 

1 

o 

00 

6 

C5 

1 

o 

• 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

•    12 

13 

14 

1 

2 

3 

15 

1 

10 

5 

17 

16 

1 

1 

4 

2 

8 

17 

1 

1 

18 

•• 

Total 

- 

1 

1 

12 

11 

3 

29 

The  fact  that  all  pupils  but  one,  who  left  for  work,  were  from 
the  Heath,  Lincoln  and  Pierce  Schools,  and  that  those  who  left 
for  private  schools  were  largely  from  the  Driscoll  and  Runkle 
buildings,  and  that  but  one  left  for  either  purpose  from  the  Devo- 
tion building  reveals  significant  difference  between  these  schools. 


The  School  Population 


199 


It  is  gratifying  to  note  that  but  three  pupils  left  to  work  at  14, 
while  but  three  left  to  go  to  work  lower  than  the  seventh  grade. 

This  is  a  very  commendable  showing.  Notwithstanding  the 
pupils  are  over  age,  they  remain  in  school  until  later  in  life  and  in 
so  doing  reach  higher  grades  than  pupils  in  most  cities.  This  is 
due  in  part  to  the  parents,  who  desire  their  children  to  obtain  a 
good  education,  but  in  just  as  large  or  greater  measure  to  the 
schools.  In  the  first  place,  the  superior  personalities  of  the  prin- 
cipals and  teachers  have  enabled  them  to  hold  the  children  in 
school  with  a  Course  of  Study  undifferentiated  to  meet  their  needs 
and  an  extra  year  in  length.  This  is  one  of  the  strongest  features 
of  the  BrookUne  elementary  schools.  There  are  few,  if  any, 
public  school  systems  in  which  the  teaching  corps  are  superior  to 
that  of  BrookUne  in  personality,  sympathy,  interest  and  love  for 
their  pupils  and  with  the  power  to  win  and  hold  them. 

The  elimination  from  the  Brookline  High  Schools  and  the 
reasons  assigned  during  the  same  period  are  shown  in  the  following 
tables : 


Number  Leaving   Brookline  High  School  in  1915-16. 


Year 

13 

u 

Id 

w 

17 

18 

19 

W 

21 

22 

Total 

1st 

1 

5 

13 

12 

11 

2 

•■ 

•• 

1 

45 

12nd 

1 

9 

•6 

4 

1 

21 

3rd 

1 

4 

9 

6 

5 

1 

26 

4th 

2 

2 

3 

1 

8 

Total 

1 

5 

15 

25 

28 

14 

8 

3 

1 

100 

200  .    School  Survey  of  Brookline 

Reasons  for  Leaving  Brookline  High  School. 


1 

1 

1 

II 

^ 

11 

Couldn't 
graduate 

r2 

1 

28 

8 

5 

1 

1 

2 

45 

2 

10 

5 

1 

1 

4 

21 

3 

10 

7 

3 

1 

' 

5 

26 

4 

1 

2 

2 

3 

8 

Total 

48 

21 

10 

3 

2 

2 

14 

100 

Eighty-six  per  cent  of  them  were  over  age  and  had  they  earher 
in  their  course  been  brought  up  to  normal  age,  over  one-half  of 
them  would  have  been  in  their  final  year.  It  seems  unfortunate 
that  while  Brookhne  succeeds  in  holding  a  good  percentage  of 
her  pupils  to  late  ages  —  late  enough  for  high  school  gradua- 
tion from  a  13-year  course  —  she  does  not  succeed  in  having 
them  complete  that  course.  That  is  the  crux  of  the  deficiency; 
Brookline  holds  her  children  in  school,  but  she  is  too  content  to 
allow  over-age  pupils  to  go  along  making  only  normal  progress. 
The  omission  of  the  ninth  grade  and  the  organization  of  a 
Junior  High  School  would  help  in  this  respect  but  would  not 
remedy  the  situation  in  the  lower  grades.  In  order  to  reach  the 
desired  efficiency  in  all  departments  of  the  school,  it  is  necessary 
that  continuous  study  be  made  of  the  age,  abilities,  needs  and 
progress  of  each  child  and  that  he  be  allowed  to  pass  upward 
through  all  the  grades  from  the  kindergarten  and  through  the 
high  school  at  that  rate  which  is  best  for  him.  At  present, 
supervision  of  this  phase  of  the  school  seems  to  be  deficient.  The 
Survey  Committee  would  recommend  the  introduction  of  age- 
progress  studies,  the  assignment  of  supervision  of  the  progress  of 
children  to  one  supervisory  officer,  as  an  assistant  superintendent, 
and  the  passing  of  the  requirement  that  annual  report  upon  this 


The  School  Population  201 

subject  be  made  to  the  School  Committee  and  be  published  for 
the  information  of  the  town. 


The  Attendance  Office. 

The  attendance  office  in  Brookline  is  managed  by  one  man 
who  gives  possibly  two-thirds  of  his  time  to  it.  He  has  no  part 
in  the  taking  of  the  census.  His  functions  are  to  see  that  al 
children  of  school  age,  except  those  that  are  exempt  from  at- 
tendance on  legal  grounds,  are  enrolled  in  some  school,  that  they 
attend  regularly  in  accordance  with  the  law,  and  that  those  who 
do  not  comply  with  the  law  are  prosecuted;  to  issue  educational 
and  working  certificates  and  to  keep  in  touch  with  those  at  work 
and  with  the  conditions  under  which  they  work  through  the  means 
that  these  certificates  furnish  and,  in  general,  to  see  that  the  State 
requirements  relating  to  attendance  and  employment  of  children, 
in  so  far  as  the  school  is  involved,  are  carried  out. 

Taking  into  account  the  limitations  under  which  the  attend- 
ance work  is  performed,  it  is  well  done.  The  School  Committee 
may,  how^ever,  in  the  opinion  of  the  Survey  Committee,  promote 
the  efficiency  of  the  service  in  a  number  of  ways.  In  the  first 
place,  the  attendance  officer  should  be  allowed  to  give  his  entire 
time  to  this  work  and  to  that  of  assistance  in  the  enforcement  of 
laws  and  regulations  pertaining  to  contagious  diseases.  He  has 
not  been  able  to  check  up  the  enrollment  of  those  on  the  census 
books  in  a  thoroughgoing  fashion,  although  he  has  given  atten- 
tion in  this  respect  to  that  portion  of  the  town  surrounding  the 
Village,  where  it  seems  the  more  serious  violations  of  the  law  are 
most  apt  to  occur.  The  new  forms  of  record  required  by  the  State 
are  well  adapted  to  the  purposes  for  which  they  are  intended,  but 
their  maintenance  will  require  considerable  time.  The  duties 
connected  with  the  stock  room  and  the  dehvery  of  supplies  to 
schools,  etc.,  now  required  of  the  attendance  officer  should  be 
transferred  to  the  clerk  having  charge  of  school  property. 

In  the  second  place,  the  taking  of  the  census  should  be  per- 
formed by  the  attendance  officer  with  the  assistance  of  the  prin- 
cipals and  teachers.     If  the  census  is  taken  by  some  one  outside 


202  School  Sukvey  of  Brookline 

the  school,  there  is  a  certain  amount  of  knowledge  of  conditions 
which  the  school  needs  and  does  not  get.  The  irregular  increases 
in  the  number  in  the  census  Hsts  from  year  to  year,  as  compared 
with  the  regular  increases  in  enrollment,  suggest  that  some 
children  of  school  age  have  been  missed. 

The  census  taken  by  the  school  authorities  should  be  a  con- 
tinuing census,  and  the  individual  record  file  should  always  be 
kept  up  to  date.  The  State  census  in  April  of  each  year  may  then 
be  taken  from  the  card  file.  Principals,  with  the  assistance  of 
teachers  and  pupils,  should  be  expected  to  keep  in  close  touch  with 
the  coming  into  their  districts  and  with  the  removal  from  them  of 
children  of  school  age.  At  least  one  of  the  principals  does  this 
now,  and  the  Survey  Committee  beheves  that  it  is  a  factor  in  the 
superior  record  made  by  the  pupils  of  this  school  in  progress, 
small  number  of  withdrawals,  and  attendance.  Any  change 
should  be  at  once  reported  to  the  central  office  on  a  form  provided 
for  that  purpose.  The  attendance  officer  should  give  attention 
to  this  phase  of  the  work,  also,  supplementing  the  work  of  the 
principals,  teachers  and  pupils. 

At  least  once  during  the  year  the  continuing  census  should  be 
checked  for  omissions  and  inaccuracies  by  a  house-to-house  can- 
vass, not  necessarily,  however,  by  house-to-house  visitation.  By 
a  detailed  mapping  of  the  various  parts  of  the  town,  as  is  done  in 
the  assessors'  office,  and  by  the  use  of  floor  plans  of  apartment 
houses,  principals  and  teachers,  with  their  present  acquaintance 
with  the  famifies,  can,  by  utilizing  the  knowledge  of  the  older  and 
more  reliable  pupils,  make  an  accurate  census  wMth  relatively 
little  visitation.  It  would  be  a  distinct  gain  to  the  schools,  how- 
ever, if  such  visits  were  made  even  when  not  absolutely  necessary. 

The  attendance  office  may  be  so  developed  that  it  will 
render  considerable  assistance  to  the  school  in  the  vocational 
guidance  of  its  former  pupils  and  in  the  educational  guidance  of 
children  within  the  school.  The  obligation  of  the  school  does  not 
cease  when  the  pupil  leaves  school.  It  should  seek  to  render  him 
such  help  as  is  within  its  power  in  finding  out  the  kind  of  a  position 
to  which  he  is  well  adapted,  and  to  see  that  conditions  are  favor- 
able to  him  in  his  work.     The  attendance  office  may  thus  be  made 


The  School  Population  203 

an  agency  for  obtaining  much  valuable  information,  and  the 
knowledge  gained  should  be  put  in  available  form  for  the  considera- 
tion of  the  other  school  authorities.  The  School  Committee  may 
well  foster  such  co-operation. 

Records  and  Reports. 

There  is  a  striking  lack  of  records  and  reports  in  the  public 
school  system  of  Brookline,  and  a  large  proportion  of  those  that 
exist  have  been  introduced  upon  the  initiative  of  some  principal 
or  copied  from  another  principal,  and  are  not  necessarily  or,  in 
fact,  in  general  use  throughout  the  system  as  a  whole.  The 
attendance  register  required  by  the  State  of  Massachusetts,  the 
monthly  report  relating  to  attendance,  and  the  annual  report  on 
promotions  and  health  record  cards  constitute  practically  all  the 
regular  official  forms  of  records  and  reports  pertaining  to  pupils. 
There  are  no  forms  for  keeping  account  of  pupils'  monthly,  or 
even  annual,  ratings  in  their  studies.  In  the  grades  individual 
teachers  keep  such  records  as  they  choose  and  in  such  form  as 
they  please,  but  they  are  not  preserved  beyond  the  end  of  the 
year.  The  report  on  promotion,  a  copy  of  which  is  retained  in 
the  principal's  office,  is  the  only  official  permanent  pupil  record. 
The  so-called  ''blue  card"  has  also  been  used  in  several  buildings 
by  principals.  It  is  a  fairly  good  form  of  cumulative  individual 
record  of  the  pupil's  progress.  There  is  no  general  form  of 
monthly  or  quarterly  report  to  parents,  but  a  few  of  the  principals 
have  devised  reports  of  their  own.  These  tell  in  a  general  way  of 
the  pupil's  work. 

By  no  means  enough  information  about  the  high  school  and 
the  pupils  is  being  recorded,  systematically  accumulated,  and 
periodically  analyzed  and  reported  in  statistical  form.  The 
statistical  information  about  the  high  school  presented  annually 
in  the  report  of  the  School  Committee  is  of  very  limited  scope. 
The  fact  of  meager  records  is  also  illustrated  by  the  incident  that 
an  age-grade  table  of  the  high  school  pupils  was  made  up  for  the 
first  time  at  the  request  of  a  member  of  the  Survey  Committee. 

The  financial  accounting,  while  accurate,  is  crude,  inadequate, 
and  of  practically  no  value  in  determining  efficiencies  of  costs. 


204  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

Much  of  the  small  amount  of  time  given  to  it  in  the  Superintend- 
ent's office  is  wasted.  All  bills  for  supplies  are  copied  in  detail 
when  the  requirement  of  a  duplicate  bill  would  serve  every  pur- 
pose, but  a  proper  system  of  accounting  would  obviate  the  need  of 
it,  since  there  is  always  the  original  bill  in  the  city  accountant's 
office.  Similar  waste  appears  in  duplicating  month  after  month 
opposite  each  teacher's  name  the  amount  of  salary  paid.  These 
books  should  be  dispensed  with  and  the  labor  spent  upon  them 
turned  to  more  useful  account. 

The  budget  system  also  needs  revision.  It  is  accurate  and 
reliable,  and  affords  a  means  of  knowing  from  month  to  month 
through  the  monthly  reports  from  the  town  accountant  the  exact 
status  of  the  finances,  but  it  needs  to  be  reorganized  in  order  to 
make  it  an  efficient  instrument  for  intelligent  control. 

Records  in  the  field  of  equipment  and  supplies  are  as  indefinite 
as  in  the  fields  mentioned  above.  The  ''stock  room "  in  the  Super- 
intendent's office  has  an  accounting  system  which,  though  simple, 
is  accurate,  when  fully  carried  out.  But  there  is  no  accounting 
between  principals  and  the  Superintendent's  office  for  the  supplies 
and  textbooks  given  them,  although  the  principals  send  in  annually 
a  statement  of  stock  on  hand.  A  few  of  the  principals  have  more  or 
less  satisfactory  accounting  schemes  between  themselves  and  in- 
dividual teachers,  but  again  wholly  upon  their  own  initiative  and 
with  continuance  dependent  solely  upon  their  own  pleasure. 

School  administration,  in  common  with  business  and  indus- 
trial administration,  has  passed  beyond  the  point  of  unsystematic 
management  based  upon  mere  opinion.  Records  and  reports  are 
an  essential  part  of  efficient  management.  In  the  installation  of  a 
system  of  records  and  reports  their  relative  value  in  the  determina- 
tion of  efficiencies  should  be  a  fundamental  consideration,  and  no 
data  should  be  required  which  are  not  utilized  in  efficiency  studies, 
the  benefits  of  which  are  brought  to  pupils,  teachers,  principals, 
supervisors.  Superintendent,  the  School  Committee  or  the  people. 
Many  of  the  forms  should  be  uniform,  and  be  used  throughout  the 
system.  The  comparison  of  the  facts  revealed  in  different  build- 
ings and  classrooms  should  furnish  the  basis  of  discussion  in 
principals'   and  teachers'  meetings  and  in  the  development  of 


The  School  Population  205 

plans  and  standards.  The  forms  should  be  so  arranged  as  to 
require  a  minimum  of  time  in  filling  out,  and  the  results  of  the 
study  should  always  be  immediately  available  to  any  person  in  the 
schools  who  may  have  occasion  to  use  them. 

The  number  of  records,  the  kinds  and  their  exact  forms  can 
best  be  determined  by  a  permanent  expert  upon  the  ground,  for, 
while  there  are  certain  definite  principles  and  rules  governing 
forms  of  records,  the  best  records  are  those  adapted  to  local 
conditions.  There  are,  however,  certain  forms  pertaining  to 
pupils  which  have  come  into  general  use  among  cities  with  the 
purpose  in  mind  that  the  records  may  go  with  the  pupil  from  city 
to  city  and  fit  in  as  component  parts  of  each  record  system. 

The  following,  at  least,  are  needed : 

1.  Pupil  records:  (a)  Permanent  record  of  quahty  of  work 
done  in  each  subject  or  activity.  (6)  Progress  of  pupils  through 
the  grades,  (c)  Failure  in  each  study,  (d)  Withdrawal  from 
school,  (e)  Location  of  each  child  of  school  age  in  school,  pubUc 
or  private. 

2.  Finances:  (a)  The  accounting  system  should  be  re- 
organized so  as  to  permit  a  distribution  of  expenses  in  accordance 
with  the  classification  of  the  national  Office  of  Education  and  the 
National  Education  Association,  which  is  followed  in  most  cities. 
The  books  should  be  kept  in  the  office  of  the  Superintendent  of 
Schools  by  a  competent  clerk,  or  if  kept  elsewhere  the  city  Super- 
intendent's office  should  be  able  to  control  absolutely  the  classi- 
fication of  the  items  when  entered  upon  the  books.  Ledger 
accounts  should  be  kept  for  each  school  and  each  activity.  The 
detailed  items  may,  however,  be  kept  in  lead  pencil  memorandum 
form  and  destroyed  after  the  totals  for  each  month  have  been 
balanced  and  record  made  of  them  in  ink.  This  expedient  has 
been  found  practicable  in  a  number  of  cities  and  saves  not  only 
a  great  deal  of  time,  but  also  avoids  the  accumulation  of  a  large 
number  of  old  account  books. 

(6)  The  budget  and  the  monthly  and  annual  financial  reports 
should  be  revised  so  as  to  be  in  accord  with  the  national  system 
of  school  accounting.  This  would  require  a  distribution  of  items 
first  among  each  type  of  school  as  elementary,  secondary,  etc.. 


206  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

divided  into  such  subheads  as  desired,  and  second  (appearing 
as  heads  of  columns  to  the  right  of  the  column  for  schools)  among 
the  general  classification  of  expense  as  general  control,  instruction, 
operation  of  plant,  maintenance  of  plant,  etc.  In  the  preparation 
of  the  budget  estimates  should  be  made  in  detail  and  based  upon 
the  costs  of  the  year  closing,  and  showing  the  reasons  for  any 
change,  in  accordance  with  the  best  practice  in  city  governments. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

PROVISIONS  FOR  SAFEGUARDING  HEALTH. 

The  schools  of  the  United  States  have  been  slow  to  adjust 
their  curriculum  of  studies  to  the  changed  needs  of  the  pupils  and 
the  community.  Pupils  do  not  now,  as  formerly,  go  to  school 
three  months  in  the  winter  to  learn  to  read,  write  and  cipher, 
securing  their  vocational  skill  and  bodily  power  during  the  other 
nine  months.  They  go  to  school  nine  months  and  are  idle  the 
other  three  months  because  the  opportunities  for  securing  voca- 
tional skill  and  bodily  endurance  have  been  taken  away  from  them 
with  the  removal  of  industry  from  the  home.  The  school  must 
accept  the  new  conditions  of  this  industrial  age  and  provide  ade- 
quate opportunity  for  bodily  exercise  related  to  vocational  skill 
and  for  the  fundamental  bodily  exercises  which  are  related  to 
health. 

The  health  needs  of  school  pupils  may  be  stated  as  follows : 

1.  A  healthful  environment  in  home,  school  and  community. 

2.  A  careful  health  examination  which  would  include  medical 
inspection,  a  mental  examination,  a  physical  examination. 

3.  Instruction  in  personal  health  laws  and  regulations. 

4.  Equipment. 

5.  Regulated  physical  activity. 

I.     Environment  for  Activity. 
Elementary  Schools. 

In  this  Survey  the  elementary  schools  studied  were  the 
Edward  Devotion,  the  Heath,  the  Lawrence,  the  Lincoln,  the 
Pierce  and  the  Ruhkle. 

Edward  Devotion  School.  The  playground  of  this  school  was 
found  to  be  adequate  fo  play  purposes.  The  gymnasium  is  36 
feet  by  72  feet  with  a  moderate  equipment  consisting  of  a  horse,  a 
buck,   stall  bars,   vaulting  box   and  boom.     Six  baths  and    12 

207 


208  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

dressing  rooms  are  supplied  for  the  boys  and  an  equal  number  for 
the  girls.  So  far  as  the  writer  could  learn,  these  baths  had  been 
installed  for  three  years,  but  had  never  been  used  as  a  regular 
part  of  the  physical  training  program. 

Heath  School.  A  splendid  play  field  of  approximately  seven 
acres  adjoining  the  school  is  available  for  play  purposes.  In  the 
school  building  the  thermostats  had  not  been  working  for  two 
weeks.  This  error  in  environment  could  easily  have  been  avoided. 
The  gymnasium  has  a  comparatively  low  ceiling,  about  14  feet  to 
18  feet,  with  an  air  duct  under  the  middle  of  the  ceiling.  This 
reduces  the  height  to  such  an  extent  as  to  interfere  with  many 
types  of  valuable  exercise,  particularly  in  the  line  of  games. 
Nine  baths  for  boys  and  nine  for  girls  with  12  dressing  rooms  were 
in  use,  with  an  attendant  to  look  after  them.  These  baths  were 
used  by  eighth  and  ninth-grade  pupils  after  gymnasium  work. 
Twenty-five  minutes  after  class  was  allowed  for  bathing,  which  is 
ample  time.     The  soap  and  towels  were  furnished  free. 

Lawrence  School.  At  this  school  the  adjacent  park  available 
for  playground  purposes  is  ample.  The  gymnasium  is  very  small, 
about  27  feet  by  38  feet,  with  a  low  ceiling  not  over  eight  feet  in 
height,  supported  by  a  number  of  posts.  The  gymnasium  had  been 
made  in  the  space  formerly  devoted  to  coal  bins.  This  effort  to 
provide  appropriate  physical  training  shows  commendable  enter- 
prise, but  it  falls  far  short  of  actual  needs. 

The  room  was  clean,  but  entirely  inadequate  in  size,  in  height 
of  ceiling  and  in  ventilation.  There  is  urgent  need  for  a  better 
gymnasium  if  this  school  is  to  be  continued  in  use  as  a  grammar 
school. 

Lincoln  School.  The  Lincoln  School  has  no  adequate  play 
field.  Some  use  is  made  of  the  Boylston  Primary  School  field 
across  the  street.  The  gymnasium  is  too  small.  This  large 
school  is  greatly  in  need  of  better  facilities  for  physical  training 
than  it  now  has. 

Pierce  School.  This  school  has  no  suitable  playground.  The 
children  are  literally  compelled  to  break  the  law  if  they  desire  to 
play  ball  around  the  school  building.  On  the  small  playground  the 
writer  saw  a  trespass  sign  which  admonished  the  children  not  to 


Provisions  for  Safeguarding  Health  209 

play  on  the  school  grounds  after  school  hours.  The  ground 
opposite  the  Pierce  School  might  serve  admirably  for  playground 
purposes  if  the  Bethany  Church  building  and  a  number  of  old 
houses,  some  of  them  vacant,  were  removed. 

The  gymnasium  consists  of  a  room  27  feet  by  57  feet  with 
two  large  pillars  which  really  convert  it  into  two  small  rooms.  The 
ventilation  was  found  to  be  bad.  The  janitor  stated  that  he  did 
not  ordinarily  use  the  fans.  Upon  examination  it  was  found 
that  the  air  was  pumped  from  the  street  level,  where  much  dust 
and  dirt  accumulate,  and  was  forced  over  the  top  of  the  boiler, 
where  any  gas  that  might  escape  from  the  fire  box  would  come 
up  into  the  air  duct  entering  the  schoolroom  after  passing  over 
the  top  of  the  boilers  and  their  covering  of  soot  and  dust.  This 
condition  should  be  remedied  by  a  separation  of  the  bottom  of  the 
duct  from  the  top  of  the  boijer  space  and  by  protecting  the  air 
supply  from  outside  contamination. 

Runkle  School.  This  school  has  the  use  of  the  Beacon  play 
field,  which  is  ample  in  size,  but  so  far  from  the  building  that  the 
children  cannot  use  it  for  out-of-door  exercise  during  the  school 
periods. 

The  gymnasium  is  32  feet  by  72  feet,  with  a  height  of  about 
1 1  feet,  which  is  too  low  for  many  types  of  exercise.  The  minimum 
gymnasium  height  should  be  18  feet.  The  window  space  is  inade- 
quatec  There  are  six  small  basement  windows,  roughly,  two  by 
two  feet,  and  five  of  medium  size,  about  two  by  five  feet.  There 
are  four  posts  in  the  gymnasium  which  interfere  with  its  effective 
use.  The  gymnasium  is  equipped  with  stall  bars,  ropes,  boom  and 
vaulting  box.  It  has  no  bathing  equipment.  The  floor  is  of  rough 
concrete,  difficult  to  keep  free  from  dust. 

Junior  High  School. 

The  building  of  a  Junior  High  School  with  adequate  equip- 
ment for  the  upper  grammar  grades  would  make  possible  the  use 
of  the  present  equipment  in  the  best  schools  for  a  period  of  years 
for  the  elementary  grades.  The  pupils  in  upper  grammar  grades 
urgently  need  an  all-round  equipment  of  play  fields,  gymnasiums 
and  baths  which  will  furnish  an  adequate  environment  for  activity. 


210  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

This  should  be  a  fundamental  consideration  in  planning  the  new 
building,  should  the  Junior  High  School  plan  be  adopted.  It  is 
obvious  that  under  this  plan  adequate  facilities  could  be  provided 
at  a  moderate  per  capita  cost  and  the  instruction  could  be  of  the 
very  best  without  being  unduly  expensive.  Then,  too,  greater 
enthusiasm  for  physical  exercise  can  be  developed  where  boys  and 
girls  can  be  handled  in  fairly  large  groups. 

High  School. 

Girls.  The  girls  have  no  playground.  The  common,  which 
is  used  as  a  playground,  seems  to  be  entirely  monopolized  by  the 
boys.  A  play  field  for  the  girls  might  be  arranged  back  of  the 
high  school  gymnasium  if  properly  screened  by  hedges.  Girls 
have  as  urgent  need  for  play  space  as  have  boys. 

The  high  school  classes  use  the  BrookUne  Pubhc  Gymnasium. 
Apparently  no  arrangement  is  made' to  use  the  baths.  The  larger 
proportion  of  the  boys  and  girls  are  said  to  use  the  swimming  pool 
outside  of  school  hours.  The  gymnasium  for  girls  is  35  feet  by  75 
feet.  At  the  date  of  this  study  it  was  in  use  on  Monday,  Wednes- 
day and  Friday  from  8.30  to  1.30.  It  might  have  been  used  on 
Tuesday  and  Thursday  from  8.30  to  10.00  and  from  12.00  to  1.30. 
The  equipment  is  limited.  It  consists  of  27  stall  bars,  one  ladder, 
nine  ropes,  eight  travehng  rings,  six  rope  ladders,  two  sets  of  flying 
rings,  one  horse,  one  vaulting  box  and  mats  sufficient  for  this 
apparatus.  There  was  also  an  equipment  of  Indian  clubs  and 
dumb-bells. 

The  girls'  gymnasium  is  three  flights  from  the  street.  In 
connection  with  this  gymnasium  a  rest  room  is  urgently  needed. 
The  showers  are  very  badly  arranged,  a  portion  of  them  being 
on  each  of  three  floors.  There  are  10  of  these  showers  distributed 
in  five  different  shower  rooms.  Some  200  lockers  are  also  scat- 
tered on  the  second  and  third  floors  in  five  different  rooms.  Ade- 
quate supervision  of  bathing  and  dressing  is  practically  impossible 
under  such  conditions  without  great  expense.  The  baths  are 
scarcely  used  at  all  by  the  girls.  The  attendant  stated  that  not 
more  than  12  girls  per  day  use  the  baths.  In  order  to  use  them 
at  all  it  was  necessary  for  the  teacher  to  excuse  the  girls  from  a 


Pko VISIONS  FOR  Safeguarding  Health  211 

portion  of  the  gymnasium  class,  as  the  time  was  not  sufficient 
for  both  suitable  exercise  and  bathing. 

Boys.  The  play  field  on  the  common  is  adequate  .for  the 
present  activities  of  the  boys,  considering  the  present  size  of  the 
school.  Additional  vacant  land  should  be  secured  back  of  the 
school  building  for  use  both  by  boys  and  girls. 

The  gymnasium  used  by  the  boys  is  a  large,  well-equipped 
room,  71  feet  by  101  feet.  It  is  thoroughly  equipped  with  light 
and  heavy  apparatus.  The  bathing  equipment  available  for  the 
boys  is  poor  and  is  located  in  a  cold  room.  The  heat  in  the  locker 
room  was  also-  insufficient.  The  shower  room  contains  four 
showers  and  two  toilets.  The  toilets  might  better  be  removed 
to  another  room  and  eight  or  10  additional  showers  installed  in 
the  present  shower  room,  unless  arrangements  can  be  made  to 
use  the  locker  room  and  baths  which  are  reserved  for  municipal 
work.  It  seems  extravagant  to  have  a  large  locker  room  and 
well-equipped  baths  left  unused  during  the  school  day.  The 
municipal  locker  room  is  well  equipped  with  lockers,  dressing 
rooms  and  showers.  At  the  time  of  this  study  the  gymnasium 
was  in  use  from  8.30  to  1.30  on  Monday,  Wednesday  and  Friday, 
and  from  12.45  to  1.30  on  Thursday.  It  might  have  been  used 
from  8.30  to  10.00  on  Tuesday  and  Thursday  and  from  12.45 
to  1.30  on  Tuesday.  These  hours  were  not  utilized,  apparently, 
because  of  inability  to  put  them  into  the  schedule  of  the  school. 

The  impression  made  upon  the  examiner  was  that  an  ad- 
ministrative failure  had  been  made  to  use  adequately  for  high 
school  boys  and  girls  the  locker  room,  shower  baths  and  swim- 
ming pool  advantages  in  the  municipal  plant.  In  the  changes 
that  were  in  progress,  consisting  of  the  addition  of  public  showers 
and  improvements  in  the  swimming  pool,  no  arrangement  was 
apparently  made  for  the  use  of  this  equipment  during  the  school 
day  by  school  pupils.  A  basketball  cage  of  24  feet  by  75  feet  was 
apparently  little  used.  With  some  rearrangements  the  equip- 
ment might  be  used  very  much  more  largely  during  the  school 
day. 

The  minimum  equipment  for  baths  based  on  50  pupils  in  a 
class  should  be: 


212  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

(a)  Boys.  Where,  for  moral  and  hygienic  reasons,  an  open 
room  is  used,  one  shower  is  needed  for  each  five  boys  if  individual 
control  is  used,  and  one  for  seven  boys  if  multiple  control  is  used. 
Multiple  control  is  recommended  because  it  saves  time,  water 
and  space.  The  space  for  each  shower  should  be  24  square  feet. 
This  gives  adequate  room  for  drying  in  the  shower  room. 

(6)  Girls.  Closed  shower  baths  for  girls  should  be  3  feet 
3  inches  by  3  feet,  and  have  one  shower  for  each  three  girls  if 
individual  control  is  used,  or  one  shower  for  each  five  girls  if 
multiple  control  is  used.  Multiple  control  is  recommended,  where 
one  attendant  regulates  all  the  showers. 

Dressing  Rooms. 

Boys  and  girls  should  be  supplied  either  with  individual 
lockers  12  inches  by  12  feet  by  36  inches,  which  with  the  aisle 
space  would  require  eight  square  feet  per  pupil,  or  with  box 
lockers  6  inches  by  12  inches  by  36  inches  for  the  storage  of 
gymnasium  clothing.  These  require  two  and  one-half  square 
feet  per  pupil  for  the  locker  and  the  aisle.  Under  these  condi- 
tions enough  of  the  larger  lockers  should  be  supplied  for  two 
classes.  In  the  girls'  dressing  room  booths  sufficient  for  two 
groups  of  girls,  one  dressing  and  the  other  undressing,  should 
be  supplied.  -  These  need  to  be  2  feet  10  inches  by  4  feet. 

Administration. 

The  class  room  schedule  should  be  arranged  to  permit  each 
child  in  the  high  school  and  grammar  grades  or  Junior  High  School 
to  have  in  addition  to  the  recess  at  least  40  minutes  of  vigorous 
exercise  twice  each  week,  with  20  additional  minutes  allowed  for 
bathing.  The  schedule  for  the  lower  grades  should  arrange  for 
the  recess  period,  for  two  30-minute  periods  of  gymnastics  or 
play  per  week  and  for  three  daily  periods  of  exercise  of  four 
minutes  each.  The  present  class  schedule  prevents  the  use  of 
the  plant  in  ways  which  are  largely  related  to  organic  vigor. 


Provisions  for  Safeguarding  Heaj^th  213 

11.  Medical  and  Physical  Examination. 

Elementary  Schools. 

There  is  urgent  need  of  better  correlation  of  the  medical 
and  physical  examinations  in  the  elementary  schools.  Much 
good  work  is  wasted  because  of  poor  methods  in  recording  results. 
At  the  date  of  this  study  it  was  not  possible  to  follow  the  health 
record  of  an  individual  child  from  grade  to  grade,  nor  was  it  possible 
for  the  Physical  Training  teachers  without  adequate  health  records 
to  do  their  best  work  on  individual  children.  In  a  number  of 
the  schools  records  were  kept  in  books  instead  of  on  cards  and, 
therefore,  the  child's  record  could  not  readily  be  transferred  from 
room  to  room  or  from  school  to  school.  The  value  of  health 
records  consists  chiefly  in  the  help  they  may  give  to  the  regular 
teacher  or  to  the  teacher  of  Physical  Training.  In  the  Pierce 
School  the  principal  had  some  very  interesting  private  records 
by  means  of  which  she  was  following  up  the  children  in  an  effective 
way.  Height  and  weight,  however,  were  not  recorded,  as  they 
should  have  been  both  in  the  spring  and  fall.  In  some  schools 
the  height  and  weight  are  taken  once  per  year.  The  writer 
found  no  available  annual  report  of  either  medical  inspection  or 
physical  examination  of  children.  Apparently  no  records  were 
kept  except  of  cases  serious  enough  to  report  to  the  physician. 
This  means,  of  course,  that  no  permanent  record  was  kept  which 
in  the  case  of  a  given  child  would  show  improvement  or  decrease 
of  health. 

Properly  arranged  health  records  should  be  available  for 
the  use  of  the  teachers  of  Physical  Training  and  the  room  teachers 
as  well.  Children  with  defects  bad  enough  to  need  the  immediate 
attention  of  the  family  physician  were  apparently  looked  after 
carefully. 

High  Schools. 

In  the  high  schools  better  records  were  available  than  in 
the  elementary  schools.  Dr.  Bond  was  evidently  giving  the 
girls  a  careful  examination.  It  is  unfortunate  that  enough  of  her 
time  could  not  be  secured  for  more  rapid  examination  of  the 


214  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

pupils.  The  records  show  that  no  Physical  Training  exercise 
was  taken  before  December  6.  The  time  given  by  the  examiner 
averaged  about  two  hours  per  day  on  only  25  out  of  the  50  avail- 
able days.  This  means  that  equipment  which  should  have  been 
fully  used  was  largely  unused  until  December  6,  and  that  the 
teachers  of  Physical  Training  gave  no  regular  instruction  during 
this  time.  Arrangements  should  be  made  to  complete  the  ex- 
aminations more  rapidly  and  to  start  the  girls  earher  in  healthful 
activities.  It  is  true,  of  course,  this  year  that  the  school  opened 
later  than  usual  owing  to  the  epidemic  of  infantile  paralysis. 
It  is,  nevertheless,  true  that  this  year  there  was  an  unfortunate 
waste  of  good  equipment  through  lack  of  use  and  an  equally 
costly  expenditure  for  teachers  who  could  not  teach  because  of  poor 
administration  of  the  medical  examinations.  The  essential  needs 
in  medical  and  physical  examination  of  the  pupils  are,  first,  the 
keeping  of  careful  records;  second,  the  making  of  those  records 
available  for  use  by  the  regular  and  Physical  Training  teachers 
in  whose  classes  these  pupils  are  working.  These  essential 
needs  have  not  been  adequately  met.  The  health  records  for 
the  entire  city  need  careful  revision. 

III.     Instruction. 
Elementary  Schools. 

The  health  activities  provided  both  in  the  elementary  and 
high  schools  are  entirely  inadequate  for  the  health  needs  of  the 
pupils.  In  the  elementary  schools  the  pupils  have  75  minutes 
per  week  for  exercise,  a  portion  of  this,  depending  upon  the 
equipment,  in  the  gymnasium,  the  rest  in  the  classroom.  Ex- 
ercises to  correct  bad  postures  due  to  the  school  desks  and  the 
sedentary  habits  of  the  children  are  of  great  importance  and 
the  teachers  were  found  to  be  giving  excellent  corrective  exercises. 
The  time  in  the  schedule  devoted  to  health  activities,  however, 
was  entirely  too  small  to  do  much  more  than  this.  But  the 
children  need  to  develop  organic  vigor  as  well  as  good  posture. 
The  time  allowed  was  not  adequate  for  securing  these  results. 
Except  in  some  of  the  classes  in  the  Heath  School  the  need  of  the 
bath  for  tonic  purposes  following  exercise  is  not  yet  clearly  recog- 
nized in  arranging  the  Brookhne  class  schedules. 


Provisions  for  Safeguarding  Health  215 

Miss  Barnes,  the  director  of  Physical  Education,  and  the 
other  teachers  should  be  commended  for  the  excellent  work  which 
has  been  done  under  poor  administrative  conditions.  The  work 
accomplished  in  corrective  gymnastics  deserves  special  praise. 
This  section  of  the  work  should  be  increased  for  children  in  the 
elementary  schools. 

The  High  School. 

The  high  school  schedule  offers  for  the  girls  20  minutes  of 
exercise  twice  per  week  without  opportunity  for  a  bath.  They 
should  have  adequate  time  for  vigorous  exercise  followed  by  a 
bath.  This  would  mean  as  a  minimum  not  less  than  an  hour 
two  times  per  week,  one  hour  and  20  minutes  would  be  better 
still.  The  question  often  arises  whether  it  is  possible  to  provide 
adequate  time  in  the  schedule.  The  question  should  rather  be 
raised  whether  the  schedule  is  more  important  than  the  pupils' 
health  and  whether  the  present  school  day  is  not  too  short. 

The  boys  have  two  periods  per  week  for  Physical  Training 
without  the  opportunity  of  bathing.  Opportunity  should  be 
given  for  at  least  two  periods  per  week,  of  an  hour  each,  for  exercise 
and  bathing. 

IV.  Supervision. 

The  work  assigned  to  the  Examiner  did  not  include  a  survey 
of  the  work  of  the  pubhc  gymnasium  and  baths.  A  general 
study  of  the  administrative  problems  in  health  activities  of  the 
town  as  a  whole  should  be  made.  The  general  impression  made 
upon  the  examiner  was  that  a  lack  of  correlation  must  necessarily 
exist  under  present  conditions.  He  found  that  the  town  was 
paying  $7675  for  instruction  in  the  municipal  gymnasium  and 
bath;  $2800  to  the  director,  Mr.  Samuel  K.  Mason;  $1400  to  Mr. 
C.  P.  Cameron;  $1100  to  Miss  Mary  V.  McGrath;  $1650  to  Mr. 
R.  J.  McCormick  and  $725  to  Miss  Clapp.  This  does  not  include 
the  salaries  for  supervision  of  $1800  for  Mr.  Rich;  $1100  for  Mr. 
Murphy  and  $900  for  Mr.  Allen.  A  similar  examination  showed 
the  salaries  of  the  Physical  Training  teachers  as  follows:  Miss 
Bessie  L.  Barnes,  $2300;  Miss  Toby  (three  days),  $750;  Miss 


216  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

Herrn,  $800;  Mr.   Delehanty,  $1650;   total,   $5500.     The   total 
instruction  cost  for  the  town  is  $13,175. 

The  latest  report  of  the  municipal  gymnasium  shows  a  total 
attendance  at  the  gymnasium  classes  of  30,505.  The  attendance 
of  the  high  school  and  Practical  Arts  pupils  at  this  gymnasium 
would  total  for  the  year  approximately  50,000,  with  all  pupils 
attending  twice  per  week  as  per  schedule  (see  also  Municipal 
Gymnasium  Report  for  1915,  where  the  estimate  is  49,000). 
A  total  of  11,634  boys  and  girls  were  in  attendance  at  the  12 
municipal  classes  arranged  for  them,  as  compared  with  a  total 
attendance  of  50,000  in  the  32  high  school  and  Practical  Arts 
classes.  The  latest  school  report  gives  4470  pupils  enrolled  in 
the  Brookline  schools.  The  expenditure  of  $5500  for  instruction 
in  physical  education  allows  for  an  expenditure  of  $1.23  per  school 
pupil  per  year.  The  school  report  states  that  there  are  188  ses- 
sions. The  present  cost  per  day  per  pupil  for  instruction  in 
health  activities  is,  therefore,  less  than  one  cent. 

The  latest  Municipal  Gymnasium  Report  shows  a  net  ex- 
penditure of  $19,146.73,  with  a  total  of  baths  for  the  year  of 
82,870  and  a  total  gymnasium  attendance  of  30,505  or  a  total 
unit  use  of  the  natatorium  and  gymnasium  of  113,375.  The 
unit  cost  under  these  conditions  would  be  approximately  17 
cents  per  bath  or  per  gymnasium  attendance.  It  appears  that  the 
money  expended  for  the  adults  is  proportionately  larger  than 
for  children,  though  the  needs  of  the  children  are  greater  than  for 
the  adults.  This  information  is  based  upon  a  careful  study  of 
the  reports  of  both  the  School  Committee,  and  the  Gymnasium 
and  Baths  Committee.  The  recommendations  given  below  call 
for  an  increase  of  a  little  more  than  twice  the  present  instruction 
in  physical  education.  This  would  increase  the  cost  to  some- 
where between  $1.50  and  $2  per  school  pupil  per  year,  or  a  little 
more  than  two  cents  per  day  per  pupil.  This  seems  a  relatively 
small  expenditure  as  compared  with  the  cost  of  the  baths  and 
gymnasium  for  the  adults. 


Provisions  for  Safeguarding  Health  217 

Health  Work  in  the  Brookline  Schools. 
How  the  Work  Started. 

Medical  inspection  in  Brookline  is  very  nearly  a  quarter 
of  a  century  old.  Twenty-three  years  ago,  under  the  direction  of 
the  Board  of  Health,  physicians  were  appointed  for  the  purpose 
of  inspecting  all  children  in  the  public  schools  in  order  to  detect 
cases  of  contagious  diseases,  and  by  ordering  their  immediate 
removal  prevent  the  growth  and  spread  of  epidemics.  From 
the  very  first  the  value  of  this  inspection  was  amply  demonstrated. 
The  annual  number  of  cases  of  measles,  whooping  cough,  scarlet 
fever,  and  the  like,  notably  diminished  and  school  attendance 
records  showed  corresponding  improvement. 

In  1906  a  State  law  was  passed  requiring  medical  inspection 
work  to  be  carried  on  by  school  authorities  rather  than  by  the 
Board  of  Health.  In  accordance  with  this  law  the  work  already 
established  was  taken  over  by  the  Brookline  School  Committee. 
Dr.  H.  Lincoln  Chase,  agent  of  the  Board  of  Health,  was  appointed 
chief  medical  inspector  and  most  of  the  physicians  formerly 
employed  in  that  work  were  retained  in  the  services  of  the  School 
Committee.  Of  the  11  medical  inspectors  now  in  service  six 
had  the  privilege  of  co-operating  with  Dr.  Chase  in  establish- 
ing medical  inspection  of  schools  under  the  direction  of  the  school 
authorities.  These  pioneers  are  Doctors  Hastings,  Williams, ' 
Blanchard,  C.  S.  Francis,  Cutts,  and  Kittredge. 

In  the  first  year  under  the  working  of  the  new  law  inspectors 
had  as  their  main  task  the  detection  of  contagious  diseases.  In 
addition,  speciaUsts  were  employed  to  examine  the  eyes,  teeth, 
ears,  nose,  and  throat  of  each  child  in  the  Pierce  School.  For 
the  following  six  years  this  plan  of  employing  physicians  for 
general  inspection  and  speciaUsts  for  different  parts  of  the  physical 
examination  was  followed;  but  in  June,  1912,  the  School  Board 
voted  to  do  away  with  the  services  of  specialists  in  teeth,  ears, 
nose,  and  throat  and  to  assign  their  duties  to  the  regular  medical 
inspectors  on  the  staff.  In  1913  Dr.  Chase  resigned  and  Dr. 
Hastings  was  appointed  in  his  place.  During  the  years  from 
1907  through  1913  each  annual  report  of  the  School  Committee 


218  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

carried  with  it  a  very  careful  and  detailed  report  of  the  physical 
examinations  made  under  the  direction  of  the  Medical  Inspection 
Department.  Since  1913  these  annual  health  reports  have  been 
omitted. 

Such  is  the  basis  upon  which  the  present  system  of  medical 
inspection  stands,  and  in  the  hght  of  which  it  must  be  studied. 
Apparently,  if  one  can  judge  from  a  careful  reading  of  the  early 
reports,  medical  inspection  in  Brookline  was  once  a  live  and  active 
institution.  Keen  and  vigorous  interest  was  felt  by  members 
of  the  medical  inspection  staff.  Careful  examinations  were  made 
by  specialists  in  their  various  fields.  Records  obtained  with  one 
group  of  children  were  compared  with  those  obtained  during 
previous  years  or  with  other  groups  of  children.  Physical  records 
were  compared  with  records  of  school  standing.  Attention  was 
given  to  the  effect  of  poor  eyesight,  defective  hearing,  or  adenoids 
upon  backwardness  in  school  subjects.  Public  lectures  were 
held  for  the  purpose  of  explaining  to  parents  and  teachers  the 
importance  of  the  various  physical  defects  noted  and  the  means 
of  remedying  them.  A  fresh  air  class  was  established.  School 
lunches  were  urged.  Attention  was  paid  to  the  humidity  of 
classrooms.  Posture  work  carried  on  by  the  Physical  Training 
Department  was  encouraged.  A  system  of  uniform  records  was 
established  and  directions  devised  for  their  use  so  that  all  nota- 
tions should  mean  the  same  thing  to  every  doctor.  Constant 
emphasis  was  laid  upon  the  importance  of  follow-up  work.  The 
services  of  one  school  nurse  were  secured  and  those  of  another 
asked  for.  All  of  these  things  are  shown  in  the  printed  record 
of  the  annual  reports.  How  carefully  the  work  was  done  one 
cannot  say,  but  there  is  ample  evidence  at  least  that  medical 
inspection  was  carried  on  earnestly  and  consistently  by  a  corps 
of  united  workers  under  able  leadership.  Let  us  now  turn  to  the 
consideration  of  conditions  as  we  find  them  during  the  present 
school  year. 

Legal  Provision  for  Medical  Inspection. 

According  to  the   State   law   physicians  employed  by  the 
School  Committee  must  be  ready  to  examine  children  who  apply 


Provisions  for  Safeguarding  Health  219 

for  health  certificates;  inspect  for  contagious  diseases;  examine 
children  who  have  been  absent  from  school  before  allowing  them 
to  return  to  their  classes;  make  careful  yearly  physical  examina- 
tions; send  notices  of  disabilities  to  parents  or  guardians,  and 
keep  careful  records  of  the  results  of  physical  examinations. 
Tests  of  sight  and  hearing  are  made  according  to  law  by  the 
individual  school  teacher. 

The  Staff. 

As  at  present  constituted  the  medical  inspection  staff  for  the 
public  schools  of  Brookline  consists  of  one  chief  medical  inspector, 
eight  men  physicians,  two  women  physicians,  and  one  nurse. 
Seven  of  the  men  and  one  of  the  women  are  assigned  to  work  in 
the  pubhc  schools,  one  man  acts  as  inspector  for  the  parochial 
school,  and  one  woman  makes  the  annual  physical  examination 
of  high  school  girls,  but  is  not  listed  in  the  school  directory  as  a 
member  of  the  medical  inspection  staff.  Medical  inspection  work 
is  carried  on  under  the  direction  of  the  School  Committee.  In 
addition  there  is  a  dental  chnic  established  this  year  which,  ac- 
cording to  State  law,  is  carried  on  by  the  local  Board  of  Health. 
It  is,  however,  located  in  one  of  the  public  school  buildings  and 
is  intended  to  serve  public  and  parochial  school  children. 

The  medical  inspection  staff  shows  wide  variation  in  interest 
and  ability.  Several  of  the  members  are  distinctly  above  the 
average  for  positions  of  this  kind  and  four  in  particular  would 
more  properly  be  classed  as  specialists  than  as  general  practi- 
tioners. Brookline  is  particularly  fortunate  in  being  able  to  hold 
them  on  her  public  school  staff. 

The  Folic ;  of  Laissez  Faire. 

In  studying  a  system  of  public  school  medical  inspection 
the  first  questions  which  one  asks  are,  ''How  well  is  the  staff  organ- 
ized?" ''Is  there  hearty  co-operation  between  its  members?'' 
"Does  every  inspector  share  with  the  others  a  common  interest 
and  a  common  aim?"  In  the  Brookline  system  at  present  there 
is  no  apparent  evidence  of  such  uniformity.  Each  inspector 
goes  about  his  work  with  little  or  no  reference  to  the  work  being 


220  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

carried  on  by  others.  The  chief  medical  inspector  quite  frankly 
states  that  he  prefers  to  leave  his  associates  entirely  free  in  the 
matter  of  working  and  planning.  Each  inspector  chooses  his  own 
hours  for  work.  He  decides  which  defects  he  will  look  for  and 
how  he  will  record  them.  With  the  exception  of  an  emergency 
period,  such  as  this  fall  when  the  poliomyelitis  epidemic  was  at 
its  height,  there  is  no  uniformity  of  attack  by  all  of  the  physicians 
upon  any  one  defect  or  disease.  One  physician  makes  a  specialty 
of  pretubercular  cases;  another  is  especially  interested  in  condi- 
tions of  the  heart,  and  a  third  pays  particular  attention  to  con- 
ditions of  the  feet  and  back. 

The  work  is  characterized  by  absence  of  rules  and  differences 
in  interpretation  of  such  rules  as  do  exist.  Physicians  very  rarely 
meet  together  officially  to  talk  over  their  work;  in  fact,  some  of 
those  more  recently  appointed  to  the  staff  were  unable  to  tell 
who  the  other  members  were.  Each  member  of  the  staff  is  prac- 
tically an  isolated  agent,  who  apportions  his  time,  plans  his  work, 
and  keeps  his  records  without  reference  to  any  outside  source. 

An  Interview. 

The  effectiveness  of  any  line  of  work  can  often  be  fairly  judged 
by  noting  the  attitude  of  those  who  administer  it.  Personal 
interviews  with  members  of  the  medical  inspection  staff  revealed 
wide  differences  in  attitude,  which  must  necessarily  result  in 
great  diversity  of  service.  Here  follows  a  verbatim  report  of 
one  interview  with  a  Brookline  school  physician.  It  is  from  notes 
taken  at  the  time,  and  only  those  changes  made  which  serve  to 
conceal  the  identity  of  the  physician  quoted. 

Notes  on  Interview  with  a  Brookline  Public  School  Physician. 

Regards  State  requirement  of  eye  and  ear  tests  as  "ridiculous 
procedure"  but  "teachers  do  it  probably  as  well  as  anybody 
could."  Annual  physical  examination  is  "no  use  —  gathering 
an  immense  amount  of  statistics  which  are  of  no  use  to  anybody." 

Thinks  doctors  should  do  daily  inspection.  "Teachers  do 
it  as  well  as  anybody  else,  but  aren't  trained  for  it  and  shouldn't 
be  allowed  to." 


Provisions  for  Safeguarding  Health  221 

''Well-to-do  children  don't  need  medical  inspection." 

Doesn't  see  any  good  in  a  school  nurse,  except  when  she  acts 
as  a  messenger  to  take  children  to  clinics  or  run  other  errands. 
Doesn't  think  that  either  nurse  or  teacher  should  take  the  place 
of  doctor.  Nurse  should  never  be  on  her  own  initiative  —  should 
always  be  under  doctor's  orders.  Is  first  lieutenant,  but  never 
captain.  Nurse  may  be  and  often  is  perfectly  capable  of  making 
inspections  and  yearly  examinations,  but  shouldn't  be  allowed 
to  do  so,  since  such  work  does  not  belong  to  her  field. 

Has  no  desire  for  any  assistance.  Does  not  want  to  be  re- 
lieved of  responsibihty. 

Does  not  beheve  in  school  lunches,  but  does  believe  in  a 
charity  fund  for  poor  children.  Believes  regular  lunch  furnished 
at  cost  by  school  is  nonsense. 

Does  not  believe  in  adjustable  furniture.  Doesn't  believe 
that  children  can  get  spines  injured  by  the  few  hours  they  spend 
in  school.  School  really  corrects  bad  habits  children  secure 
outside.  "Teachers  keep  after  them  all  the  time,  making  them 
sit  up  straight,  and  that's  what  they  need  —  not  desks  and  chairs 
made  so  that  they  have  to  sit  up  straight  in  spite  of  themselves. 
What  they  need  is  training  in  will  power." 

Doesn't  believe  in  systems  of  ventilation.  Most  of  the  talk 
about  it  is  nonsense. 

Doesn't  think  a  little  bit  of  leaking  gas  does  any  particular 
harm. 

There  is  no  particular  point  in  trying  to  find  out  what  gives 
children  colds.  "  They  just  have  them  and  have  to  get  over  them. 
Sometimes  we  find  a  whole  room  peppered  with  coughing.  That's 
not  our  fault.  We  can't  do  anything  about  it.  It's  the  parents' 
fault  if  they  send  children  to  school  sick." 

This  conversation  is  reproduced  here  because  it  illustrates 
what  may  happen  when  supervision  is  removed  and  no  responsi- 
bility is  felt  towards  leader  or  coworkers.  The  opinions  here 
expressed  are  not  typical  of  Brookline  school  doctors.  It  is 
the  belief  of  the  writer  that  were  medical  inspection  in  Brookline 
a  group  instead  of  an  individual  activity,  were  conferences  held 
and  reports  compared,  such  an  interview  would  be  impossible. 


222         School  Survey  of  Brookline 

The  scientific  interest  and  social  attitude  of  at  least  four  of  the 
existing  staff  would  force  every  member  to  regard  health  work 
in  the  public  schools  as  worthy  of  careful  and  serious  approach. 

Inspection  for  Contagious  Diseases. 

During  the  first  decade  medical  inspection  in  Brookline  was 
confined  almost  entirely  to  inspection  for  contagious  diseases, 
and  even  today  a  large  part  of  the  medical  inspectors'  time  is 
spent  at  this  work.  Each  inspector  aims  to  make  at  least  two 
visits  a  week  to  the  schools  under  his  care.  Each  physician  has 
a  different  method  of  carrying  on  this  form  of  inspection.  They 
are  supposed  to  examine  all  children  who  have  been  absent  from 
school  and  have  just  returned  and  also  to  look  at  any  children  in 
the  school  who  may  be  exhibiting  symptoms  of  illness  and  have 
not  yet  been  sent  home.  Physicians  agree  that  they  very  rarely 
find  a  case  of  contagious  disease  within  the  schoolroom.  Visits 
are  made  only  two  mornings  out  of  the  five  and  the  doctor  usually 
does  not  arrive  until  school  has  been  in  session  at  least  half  an 
hour.  As  a  result,  any  child  who  is  ill  is  almost  sure  to  be  noted 
by  the  teacher  before  the  doctor  can  be  consulted  and  is  usually 
sent  home  at  once. 

On  his  morning  visit  the  doctor  enters  the  room,  says  ''Good 
morning"  to  the  teacher  and,  standing  in  front  of  the  room,  runs 
his  eyes  quickly  over  the  40  children  there  assembled.  Turn- 
ing to  the  teacher  he  says,  "Has  any  one  been  absent?"  If  one 
or  two  children  have  just  returned  to  school  they  are  usually 
called  to  the  front  and  the  doctor  asks  them  what  was  the  matter 
and  whether  they  feel  all  right  now.  This  describes  the  best 
form  of  morning  examination  seen  during  a  period  of  serious 
epidemic.  In  several  cases,  although  the  Survey  visitor  was 
present  and  the  object  of  her  visit  was  known,  the  doctor  forgot 
to  ask  for  any  absentees,  and,  after  chatting  pleasantly  with  the 
teacher,  left  the  room  without  apparently  having  looked  at  any 
of  the  children. 

So  far  as  the  actual  detection  of  cases  of  contagious  disease 
goes,  these  morning  inspection  visits  are  of  practically  no  value, 
since,  as  has  already  been  explained  and  is  frankly  stated  by  the 


Provisions  for  Safeguarding  Health  223 

physicians  themselves,  children  who  are  ill  are  almost  universally 
found  and  sent  home  before  the  doctor  arrives.  Any  value  which 
these  visits  have  probably  comes  from  the  fact  that  children 
and  teachers  are  reminded  every  few  days  of  the  importance  of 
keeping  well  and  being  on  the  alert  for  signs  of  contagious  disease. 
The  presence  of  the  doctor  gives  the  teacher  a  feeling  of  confidence 
which  she  might  not  otherwise  have.  It  is,  however,  seriously 
open  to  question  whether  the  time  of  these  highly  skilled  physicians 
is  best  employed  in  such  service. 

Examination  for  Physical  Defects. 

Under  the  regulations  of  the  State  law  every  child  in  the 
public  school  must  be  examined  at  least  once  a  year  in  order  to 
ascertain  whether  he  suffers  from  physical  defects  which  may 
interfere  with  his  taking  full  advantage  of  the  public  education 
offered  him.  The  law  also  provides  that  not  only  must  these 
yearly  examinations  be  made,  but  record  must  be  kept  of  defects 
found  and  notices  sent  to  parents.  Each  medical  inspector  in 
Brookline  chooses  a  different  plan  for  making  his  yearly  examina- 
tion. Some  give  attention  to  little  more  than  teeth  and  throat, 
while  others  have  elaborate  schedules  which  they  carefully  fill 
out  in  the  case  of  every  child.  In  many  cases  observed,  defects 
noticeable  at  first  glance  were  passed  over  without  comment. 
Bent  shoulders,  crooked  backs,  or  fallen  arches,  for  example,  were 
rarely  noted.  Perhaps  the  single  item  most  neglected  is  the 
matter  of  mouth  breathing.  In  one  class  of  40  children  13 
were  counted  who  breathed  through  their  mouths  and  bore  the 
external  signs  of  adenoids.  Yet  the  medical  inspector  standing 
in  front  of  the  room  commented  upon  the  excellent  appearance 
of  the  children.  Other  inspectors  explained  that  since  digital 
examinations  for  adenoids  are  out  of  the  question  in  school  work, 
it  is  a  waste  of  time  to  pay  attention  even  to  the  most  pronounced 
cases  of  mouth  breathers. 

Not  only  do  the  actual  methods  of  yearly  examinations  vary 
in  different  schools  and  with  different  inspectors,  but  the  methods 
of  recording  also  vary.  In  some  cases  blank  books  are  kept  in 
which  children's  names  are  entered  and  the  defects  found  are 


224  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

placed  beside  them.  Sometimes  these  blank  books  are  retained 
by  the  principals  as  their  personal  property.  In  other  cases  the 
physician  carries  them  with  him.  Sometimes  notes  are  made 
on  loose  sheets  of  paper,  which  are  then  given  to  the  teacher,  to 
the  principal,  Physical  Training  teacher,  or  nurse,  or  kept  by  the 
school  physician. 

Individual  record  cards  are  kept  for  each  child,  but  there 
is  a  wide  diversity  of  opinion  concerning  the  rules  which  have 
been  laid  down  for  filling  out  these  cards.  Some  physicians 
claim  that  they  have  been  instructed  never  to  put  down  any 
defect  which  is  not  sufficiently  serious  to  call  for  immediate  at- 
tention by  the  family  physician.  Accordingly,  the  schools  under 
the  charge  of  these  physicians  are  given  almost  a  clean  bill  of 
health.  Moreover,  where  this  rule  is  followed  small  defects  which 
are  gradually  growing  worse  fail  to  be  noted,  so  that  the  attention 
of  parents,  is  not  called  to  them  until  they  reach  an  advanced 
stage.  Certain  of  the  other  physicians,  however,  say  that  they 
have  never  heard  of  any  such  rule,  and  put  down  on  the  cards 
all  the  defects  they  discover.  Some  physicians  make  special 
note  of  early  signs  of  tuberculosis,  others  do  not.  Some  physicians 
claim  that  all  cases  of  cardiac  trouble  should  be  reported;  while 
others  say  that  notice  should  be  sent  home  and  record  made  of 
only  cases  showing  aortic  lesion.  Some  physicians  confine  their 
records  to  a  description  of  what  was  found,  while  others  make  a 
definite  diagnosis.  Some  accompany  records  with  explanatory 
remarks.  There  is  no  uniformity  as  to  recording  follow-up  work 
or  its  results. 

As  a  basis  for  comparing  methods  of  recording  an  analysis 
was  made  of  the  individual  health  cards  of  all  children  in  the 
second  and  eighth  grades  of  the  Brookline  public  schools  during 
the  year  1915-16.  Physicians  were  listed  in  order,  and  a  study 
was  made  to  discover  how  far  records  of  physical  defects  are 
determined,  not  by  the  condition  of  the  child,  but  by  the  identity 
of  the  doctor  who  examines  him. 


Provisions  for  Safeguarding  Health 


225 


Diagram  I  shows  for  every  100  public  school  children 
examined  last  year  how  many  each  of  the  eight  doctors 
found  to  be  suffering  from  defective  teeth.  Names  of  the 
doctors  are  not  given  but  each  one  has  been  assigned  a  letter 
which  is  the  same  throughout  the  series  of  diagrams.  The 
range  is  from  16  children  out  of  100,  in  the  case  of  B,  to  69 
children  in  the  case  of  C.  That  is,  children  examined  by 
C  would  be  four  times  as  apt  to  be  reported  as  having  de- 
fective teeth  as  would  children  examined  by  B  or  F. 


100— 
95— 
90— 
85— 
SO- 
TS— 
70— 
65— 
60— 
55— 
50— 
45— 
40— 
35— 
30— 
25— 
20— 
15— 
10— 
5— 
0— 


PER  CENT  OF  ALL  SCHOOL  CHILDREN  EXAMINED  RECORDED 

AS   HAVING   DEFECTIVE   TEETH   BY   EACH   OF   EIGHT 

MEDICAL  INSPECTORS,  BROOKLINE,  MASS.,  1915-16. 

DIAGRAM  I. 


30 


226 


School  Survey  op  Brookline 


100— 
95— 
90— 
85— 
80— 
75— 
70— 
65— 
60— 
55— 
50— 
45— 
40— 
35— 
30— 
25— 
20- 
15— 
10— 
&— 
0— 


Diagram  II  shows  somewhat  less  wide  range.  The 
cases  run  from  four  children  with  defective  tonsils  in  each 
100,  discovered  by  F  and  H,  to  26  cases  discovered  by  B  and 
28  by  A;  that  is,  those  children  who  are  examined  by  A  are 
seven  times  as  likely  to  be  recorded  as  having  defective 
tonsils  as  are  those  examined  by  F  or  H.  The  explanation 
of  these  variations  cannot  be  found  in  different  economic 
and  social  status,  since  of  the  children  examined  by  A,  B, 
and  C  who  show  a  large  proportion  of  defective  tonsils  some 
are  very  poor  children  and  others  among  the  well-to-do  of 
Brookline. 


15  . 

■I      ^  -^ 

llili 


B 


E 


G 


PER  CENT  OF  ALL  SCHOOL  CHILDREN  EXAMINED  RECORDED 

AS  HAVING  HYPERTROPHIED  TONSILS  BY  EACH  OF  EIGHT 

MEDICAL  INSPECTORS,  BROOKLINE,  MASS.,|l915-16. 

DIAGRAM  II. 


Provisions  for  Safeguarding  Health 


227 


lOO— 
95— 
90— 
So- 
so— 
75— 
70— 
65— 
60— 
55— 
50— 
45— 
40— 
35— 
30— 
25— 
20— 
15— 
10— 
5— 
0— 


Diagram  III  shows  that  adenoids  hardly  exist  in  Brook- 
line,  in  spite  of  the  large  number  of  mouth  breathers  observed 
by  Survey  visitors  in  their  visits  to  the  classrooms.  Medical 
inspectors  usually  fail  to  discover  any  reason  for  mouth 
breathing.  They  admit,  upon  being  questioned,  that  adenoids 
probably  are  there,  but  claim  that  since  digital  examination 
is  not  allowed  there  is  little  use  of  paying  any  attention  to 
the  signs  of  adenoids.  Of  each  100  children  examined  by 
B  one  out  of  every  20  was  recorded  as  suffering  from  adenoids, 
while  those  examined  by  D,  E,  F,  and  G  were  all  reported 
to  be  in  perfect  condition. 


B 


H 


PER  CENT  OF  ALL  SCHOOL  CHILDREN  EXAMINED  RECORDED 

AS  HAVING  ADENOIDS  BY  EACH  OF  EIGHT  MEDICAL 

INSPECTORS,  BROOKLINE,  MASS.,  1915-16. 

DIAGRAM  III. 


228 


School  Survey  of  Brookline 


lOO— 
95— 
90— 
85— 
SO- 
TS— 
TO- 
GS— 
60— 
55— 
60— 
45— 
40— 
35— 
30— 
25— 
20— 
15— 
10— 
5— 
0— 


A  is  particularly  interested  in  heart  cases,  if  one  is  to 
judge  by  the  record  made.  If  the  children  were 'examined 
by  F  or  H  their  hearts  were  recorded  as  being  in  perfect 
condition,  but  if  A  held  the  examination  one-third  of  all  the 
children  were  found  to  be  suffering  from  some  form  of  heart 
trouble. 


34 


14 


■  ■■■ 


E 


G 


A  B  C  D 

PER  CENT  OF  ALL  SCHOOL  CHILDREN  EXAMINED  RECORDED 

AS  HAVING  DEFECTIVE  HEARTS  BY  EACH  OF  EIGHT 

MEDICAL  INSPECTORS,  BROOKLINE,  MASS.,  1915-16. 

DIAGRAM  IV. 


Provisions  for  Safeguarding  Health 


229 


100— 
95— 
90- 
85— 
SO- 
TS— 

ro- 
es 

BO- 
SS— 
50— 
45— 
40— 
35— 
30— 
25- 
20— 
15— 
10— 


0— 


On  Diagram  V  we  see  that  if  children  are  examined  by 
B,  D,  E,  F,  G,  H,  their  lungs  are  apt  to  be  found  in  good 
condition,  but  if  they  fall  into  the  hands  of  C  nearly  one- 
fifth  of  them  will  be  noted  as  in  the  prehminary  stages  of 
tuberculosis. 


0 


B 


0 


0 


0 


0 


D 


E  F  G  H 

PER  CENT  OF  ALL  SCHOOL  CHILDREN  EXAMINED  RECORDED 

AS  SHOWING  SYMPTOMS  OF  TUBERCULOSIS  BY  EACH  OF  EIGHT 

MEDICAL  INSPECTORS,  BROOKLINE,  MASS.,  1915-16. 

DIAGRAM  V. 


230 

100— 
95— 
90— 

85— 
SO- 
TS— 

ro- 
es 

BO- 
SS— 

so 

45- 
40— 
35 
30 
25— 
20— 
15— 
10— 
5- 
0- 


School  Survey  of  Bbookline 

Diagram   VI  indicates  that   half  of  the   doctors  find 
glands  in  good  condition  and  half  of  them  in  poor  condition. 


B 


D 


PER  CENT  OF  ALL  SCHOOL  CHILDREN  EXAMINED  RECORDED 

AS  HAVING  ENLARGED   GLANDS   BY  EACH  OF  EIGHT 

MEDICAL  INSPECTORS,  BROOKLINE,  MASS.,  1915-16. 

DIAGRAM  VI. 


100— 
95— 
90— 
85— 
SO- 
TS— 
TO- 
GS 
60— 
55 
50— 
45 
40— 
35 
30— 
25— 
20- 
15— 
10— 
5— 
0— 


Provisions  for  Safeguarding  Health 
Doctor  A  makes  a  specialty  of  pediculosis. 


231 


8 

I 


0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

B 

c 

D 

E 

F 

G 

PER  CENT  OF  ALL  SCHOOL  CHILDREN  EXAMINED  RECORDED 

AS  HAVING  PEDICULOSIS  BY  EACH  OF  EIGHT  MEDICAL 

INSPECTORS,  BROOKLINE,  MASS.,  1915-16. 

DIAGRAM  VII. 


0— 


E  and  H  find  a  very  small  variety  in  defects  discovered 
while  A  and  C  find  many  different  kinds  and  note  them  on 
the  cards. 


232  School  SyKVEY  of  Brookline 
100— 
95— 
90— 
85— 
80— 
75— 
70— 
65— 
60— 
55— 
50— 
45— 
40— 
35— 
30— 
25— 
20 
15— 
10— 


10 


l^li 


ABCDEFGH 


PER  CENT  OF  ALL  SCHOOL  CHILDREN  EXAMINED  RECORDED 

AS  HAVING  OTHER  DEFECTS  BY  EACH  OF  EIGHT  MEDICAL 

INSPECTORS,  BROOKLINE,  MASS.,  1915-16. 


DIAGRAM  VIII. 


I 


Provisions  for  Safeguarding  Health 


233 


100— 
95— 
90— 
85— 
80— 
75— 
70— 
65— 
60— 
55— 
50— 
45— 
40— 
35— 
30— 
2&- 
20- 
15— 
10— 
5— 
0— 


On  the  individual  record  card  used  in  the  schools  there 
is  a  space  for  entering  remarks  concerning  the  child's  con- 
dition. As  will  be  seen  in  Diagram  IX,  doctors  A,  B,  and 
C  use  this  space  fully  for  recording  pertinent  observations, 
while  the  four  remaining  doctors  are  content  with  simply 
entering  a  brief  statement  of  what  was  found. 


B 


H 


PER  CENT  OF  ALL  SCHOOL  CHILDREN  EXAMINED  f6r  WHOM 

EXPLANATORY  REMARKS  WERE  ENTERED  ON  RECORD 

CARDS  BY  EACH  OF  EIGHT  MEDICAL  INSPECTORS, 

BROOKLINE,  MASS.,  1915-16. 

DIAGRAM  IX. 


234 


School  Survey  of  Brookline 


100— 
95— 
90— 
85— 
SO- 
TS— 
TO- 
GS 
60— 
55— 
50— 
45— 
40— 
35— 
30— 
25— 
20— 
15— 
10— 
5— 
0— 


88 


Certain  doctors  enter  a  description  of  con- 
ditions but  will  not  commit  themselves  to  a  definite 
diagnosis.  Others  almost  invariably  make  a  diag- 
nosis. Diagram  X  shows  that  if  a  child  is  examined 
bj'  B,  E,  G,  and  H  nothing  serious  will  be  found  the 
matter  with  him,  but  out  of  every  100  children 
which  A  examines  88  receive  a  definite  diagnosis 
of  difficulty. 


B 


9 

I 


0  0 


H 


PER  CENT  OF  ALL  SCHOOL  CHILDREN  EXAMINED  FOR  WHOM 

DIAGNOSES    WERE    RECORDED    BY   EACH    OF    EIGHT 

MEDICAL  INSPECTORS,  BROOKLINE,  MASS.,  1915-16. 

DIAGRAM  X. 


Provisions  for  Safeguarding  Health 


235 


100— 
95— 
90— 
85— 
SO- 
TS- 
TO- 
GS— 
60— 
55— 
50— 
45— 
40— 
35— 
30— 
25— 
20— 
15— 
10— 
5— 
0— 


According  to  law  every  serious  defect  must  be  reported 
to  parent.  This  precaution,  however,  is  of  little  value  unless 
it  leads  to  some  definite  action  with  a  view  towards  remedying 
the  defects  found.  Tabulation  was  therefore  made  of  all 
entries  on  individual  record  cards  which  show  what  was  done 
after  the  defect  was  discovered.  As  will  be  seen  in  Diagram 
XI,  two  doctors  made  no  statement  during  the  year  of  dis- 
position of  cases,  but  doctors  C  and  F  made  such  a  statement 
on  four  out  of  every  10  cases  they  examined. 


43 


I 


H 


PER  CENT  OF  ALL  SCHOOL  CHILDREN  EXAMINED  FOR  WHOM 

DISPOSITION  OF  CASE  WAS  RECORDED  BY  EACH  OF  EIGHT 

MEDICAL  INSPECTORS,  BROOKLINE,  MASS.,  1915-16. 

DIAGRAM  XI. 


236  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

The  diagrams  which  are  here  shown  are,  as  has  already  been 
stated,  based  upon  the  records  made  during  the  past  year  for  second 
and  eighth  grade  children  in  the  public  school.  It  is  true  that 
many  of  the  doctors  keep  their  records  in  blank  books  or  on  loose 
sheets  of  paper  and  do  not  transfer  them  to  these  cards.  The 
diagrams  do  not  properly  represent  all  the  defects  found.  They 
do,  however,  represent  the  only  evidence  which  is  on  file  and 
kept  as  a  permanent  record.  It  is  on  this  evidence  that  the  work 
of  the  individual  doctors  must  be  judged. 

Comparative  Findings. 

In  the  annual  reports  of  the  chief  medical  inspector  for 
1907,  1908  and  1909  records  are  given  of  the  examination  of 
children  in  certain  schools.  It  is  interesting  to  compare  the 
results  of  these  yearly  examinations  with  those  for  the  second 
and  eighth  grades  made  and  reported  in  1916. 


Per  Cent  of  Children  Examined  Reported  as  Having 

Defective  Teeth  in  1907,  1908  o«  1909,  and  1916, 

Brookline. 

School       .v-  1907,  '08  or  '09         1916 

Pierce .'.''. 75%  43% 

Lincoln 84  42 

Longwood 47  42 

Cabot 60  23 

Runkle 61  17 

Sewall 89  15 

Devotion.  . 60  12 

Parsons 92  8 

Lawrence 58  4 

The  figures  for  the  early  years  include  some  children  with 
a  few  defects  and  some  with  seriously  defective  teeth.  Those 
for  1916  include  every  case  where  reference  to  dental  examination 
appears  on  the  card,  regardless  of  the  amount  of  defect  it  repre- 
sents. 


Provisions  for  Safeguarding  Health  237 

Children  Reported  as  Having  Hypertrophied  Tonsils, 
Pierce  School. 

1907 : 21% 

1916 10 

Children  Reported  as  Having  Adenoids,  Pierce  School. 

1907 30% 

1916 none 

Per  Cent  of  Children  Examined  Reported  as  Suffering 
FROM  Ear,  Nose,  or  Throat  Defects 
1908,  1909  AND  1916. 

School                                                                1908,1909  1916 

Devotion 23%  26% 

Lawrence 25  12 

Lincoln 26  12 

Parsons 35  none 

In  this  table  the  1908  and  1909  figures  show  the  per  cent  of 
children  examined  referred  to  physicians  for  treatment.  The 
1916  figures  show  the  per  cent  of  cards  bearing  indication  of 
trouble  with  ear,  nose,  or  throat,  regardless  of  whether  any 
recommendation  was  made  concerning  it. 

Adenoids  are  very  rarely  reported  in  the  1916  records.  The 
chief  reason  for  this  is  that  the  diagnosis  is  difficult  to  make,  and 
medical  inspectors  hesitate  to  express  an  opinion.  It  is  the 
opinion  of  the  Surveyor,  however,  that  difficulties  of  diagnosis 
should  not  be  allowed  to  result  in  the  present  almost  complete 
disregard  of  the  whole  question.  Mouth  breathers  are  notice- 
ably numerous  in  the  Brookline  schools.  Several  are  found  in 
almost  every  class. 

It  is  not  fair  that  these  children  should  be  allowed  to  go 
through  school  without  receiving  medical  care.  If  the  school 
doctor  does  not  wish  to  take  the  responsibiUty  of  examination 
and  diagnosis  the  services  of  a  specialist  should  be  secured  and 
every  child  who  shows  suspicious  symptoms  of  adenoids  should 
be  referred  to  him  for  further  examination.  Upon  this  point 
the  Surveyor  is  heartily  in  accord  with  the  discussion  presented 


238         School  Survey  of  Brookline 

by  Dr.  H.  Lincoln  Chase,  former  chief  medical  inspector,  in 
his  1913  report,  which  reads  as  follows: 

"The  comparative  frequency  with  which  diseased  adenoids 
are  found,  if  properly  examined  for,  and  the  serious  damage  they 
often  cause  the  child's  hearing  and  mental  development,  are  now 
so  well  known  that  failure  to  provide  specialists  for  this  part  of 
the  examination  in  all  the  Brookhne  schools  seems  to  the  writer 
wholly  unjustifiable  and  to  demand  immediate  consideration 
and  action  by  the  School  Committee." 

While  the  figures  above  are  not  conclusive  they  are,  never- 
theless, highly  suggestive.  In  the  first  place,  with  one  exception, 
every  comparison  shows  that  if  these  figures  are  to  be  taken 
at  their  face  value  the  children  who  lived  in  Brookhne  eight 
years  ago  were  uniformly  and  strikingly  more  defective  than 
those  who  attend  the  same  schools  today.  Unless  we  are  to  be- 
lieve that  a  marvelous  change  in  public  health  has  been-  brought 
about  within  the  past  decade  we  must  conclude  either  that  the 
medical  inspectors  are  failing  to  .  nd  defects  which  exist,  or  that 
they  are  not  recording  those  they  find. 

Study  of  pupil  health  cards,  tabulation  by  individual  medical 
inspectors,  and  comparison  of  earlier  figures  with  those  of  1916, 
clearly  indicate  the  following  suggestions: 

(a)  Each  inspector  should  have  a  definite  idea  of  what  he 
is  expected  to  look  for. 

(h)  He  should  clearly  understand  the  degree  of  defectiveness 
which  demands  (1)  that  it  be  entered  on  card,  (2)  that  parents  be 
notified. 

(c)  He  should  know  exactly  what  the  terms  used  by  every 
other  inspector  mean. 

{d)  He  should  be  required  to  enter  all  results  of  examina- 
tions on  the  individual  pupil  health  cards  instead  of  in  blank 
books  or  on  loose  sheets  of  paper. 

(e)  He  should  be  required  to  give  regular  written  reports 
upon  examinations  made,  defects  found  and  defects  remedied. 

(/)  These  reports  should  regularly  be  compared  in  staff 
conference  so  that  each  inspector  may  gain  a  clear  understanding 
of  what  other  members  of  the  staff  are  doing. 


Provisions  for  Safeguarding  Health  239 

Reports. 

No  reports  are  asked  for  from  either  nurse  or  medical  in- 
spectors. Inspectors  are  expected  to  spend  at  least  two  hours  a 
week  in  the  schools.  They  arrange  their  own  schedules  and  spend 
extra  time  if  they  see  fit.  They  are  paid  by  the  hour.  No 
record  is  made  of  their  visits,  or  of.  what  they  do;  but  at  somewhat 
irregular  intervals  they  present  their  bills  to  the  School  Committee, 
giving  the-  total  number  of  hours  spent  in  school  work. 

There  are  no  regular  reports  of  examinations  made  or  results 
found.  In  fact,  the  Chief  Medical  Inspector,  in  speaking  of  this 
aspect  of  the  work,  said  '^I  trust  my  staff.  They  are  all  high- 
grade  people.  To  ask  for  reports  seems  too  much  like  spying. 
...  I  have  confidence  that  they  are  all  doing  their  best  for  the 
children." 

Probably  the  Chief  Medical  Inspector  is  right  in  feeling  that 
the  members  of  his  staff  are  conscientious  and  trustworthy. 
It  is,  however,  the  opinion  of  the  Surveyor  that  because  of  the 
very  fact  that  most  of  the  medical  inspectors  of  Brookline  are  of 
distinctly  superior  character  and  ability  they  would  welcome  any 
intelligent  effort  towards  establishing  a  system  of  reporting  which 
would  enable  them  to  judge  the  efficiency  of  the  work  which  they 
are  doing.  Most  of  them  have  had  sufficient  experience  in 
hospitals  and  other  big  organizations  so  that  they  realize  the 
importance  of  properly  kept  records  and  regular  reporting.  A 
request  for  monthly  or  quarterly  reports  would  be  more  likely 
to  increase  their  respect  than  to  hurt  their  feelings.  Until  regular 
reports  are  made  and  conferences  held  on  the  facts  reported  the 
work  in  Brookline  will  continue  to  be  wasteful  and  inefficient. 

It  is  also  highly  desirable  that  the  annual  report  of  the 
School  Committee  carry  with  it  a  somewhat  detailed  contribution 
from  the  Chief  Medical  Inspector  describing  the  work  that  has 
been  carried  on  during  the  past  year  and  bringing  up  for  the 
consideration  of  the  town  those  matters  which  need  action  during 
the  coming  year.  In  a  very  direct  way,  the  success  of  any  medical 
inspection  work  depends  upon  the  intelligence  and  co-operative 
feeling  of  the  town.  It  is  therefore  essential  that  reports  made 
by  the  school  authorities  to  the  citizens  should  carry  with  them 


240         School  Survey  of  Brookline 

material  which  will  serve  to  let  the  citizens  know  wTiat  medical 
inspection  work  is  being  carried  on  and  where  they  can  best 
help. 

Notices  to  Parents. 

The  State  law  requires  that  notice  of  any  defect  or  disability 
which  is  serious  enough  to  require  treatment  shall  be  sent  to 
parents  of  the  child.  In  accordance  with  this  provision  Brookline 
provides  a  card  with  blank  spaces  for  name  of  child  and  statement 
of  defect;  and  the  printed  suggestion  that  the  child  be  referred 
to  the  family  physician  or  dentist.  No  provision  is  made  for 
ascertaining  whether  parents  take  any  action.  In  some  cases 
the  nurse  or  teacher  asks  the  children  a  few  weeks  later  whether 
they  have  been  taken  to  a  doctor,  but  usually  the  matter  is  allowed 
to  drift. 

It  is  a  waste  of  valuable  service  for  medical  inspectors  to 
examine  children  if  nothing  happens  as  a  result  of  the  examina- 
tion. The  test  of  medical  inspection  efficiency  is  not  primarily 
the  number  of  children  examined,  or  of  defects  found,  but  the 
relation  of  action  secured  to  action  recommended.  Five  cases 
of  defective  vision  discovered  and  corrected  with  glasses  are  of 
greater  value  to  a  school  system  than  50  cases  discovered  and 
neglected.  It  is  not  enough  to  claim  that  Brookline  parents  need 
no  urging  to  care  for  the  health  of  their  children.  This  may 
possibly  be  so;  but  it  cannot  be  taken  for  granted.  Experience 
in  other  communities  has  clearly  demonstrated  that  the  number 
of  defects  rectified  bears  a  constant  and  direct  relation  to  the 
efficacy  of  the  follow-up  system. 

With  every  notice  sent  out  there  should  be  a  return  card  to 
be  filled  in  by  the  parent  telhng  what  action  if  any  has  been  taken. 
When  action  has  been  secured  statement  of  the  fact  should  be 
entered  on  the  individual  pupil  health  card,  which  is  kept  on  file 
by  the  teacher.  At  the  end  of  the  year  each  medical  inspector 
should  be  required  to  report  not  only  the  defects  discovered,  but 
what  was  done  about  each  case,  and  the  effectiveness  of  the  work 
in  his  school  should  be  judged  by  the  relation  between  the  two 
sets  of  data. 


Provisions  for  Safeguarding  Health  241 

Preventive  Work. 

Medical  inspection  in  its  broadest  sense  may  be  divided  into 
three  main  lines  of  activity.  First,  and  historically  the  oldest, 
comes  the  inspection  for  contagious  disease.  This  is  relatively 
the  least  important  of  all  the  different  branches  of  the  work.  It 
occupies  the  least  time,  and,  while  necessary  for  the  conduct  of 
the  schools,  has  the  least  effect  in  teaching  children  how  to  live 
in  such  a  way  that  they  will  be  strong  and  healthy. 

The  second  form  of  medical  inspection  work  is  that  which 
is  mainly  ameliorative.  It  seeks  to  discover  defects  which  already 
exist  and  to  do  something  about  them.  It  takes  children  who 
are  physically  handicapped  and  either  seeks  to  cure  them  or  to 
reduce  the  defects  sufficiently  so  that  they  can  get  along  a  little 
better  in  their  school  work. 

The  third,  and  by  far  the  most  important  form  of  medical 
inspection  is  that  which  has  to  do  with  prevention  rather  than 
with  discovery  or  cure.  It  does  not  wait  for  children  to  become 
sick  or  deformed.  It  takes  the  children  who  are  well  and  tries 
to  teach  them  how  to  keep  themselves  from  becoming  ill.  When 
medical  inspection  was  first  started  in  Brookhne,  school  men  in 
other  communities  predicted  for  it  an  important  future  along 
this  very  line.  It  was  believed  that  Brookline  was  about  to  lead 
the  way  in  showing  how  to  teach  health  so  that  the  teaching  would 
really  function. 

Today  Brookline  falls  far  behind  its  early  promise.  It  has 
no  uniform  policy  for  carrying  on  preventive  work.  Individual 
doctors  ^nd  the  nurse  do  a  good  deal,  but  Only  by  spasmodic 
attempts  here  and  there.  One  doctor  has  instituted  toothbrush 
drills  and  children's  hygiene  clubs.  Three  doctors  have  done 
some  work  with  parent  conferences,  and  several  of  the  doctors 
talk  to  individual  teachers  occasionally  about  the  importance 
of  the  medical  work.  But  there  is  no  uniform,  definite  policy 
for  health  instruction  to  pupils,  health  conferences  with  teachers, 
systematic  calhng  of  parent  conferences,  talks  with  individual 
parents,  inspection  of  hygienic  conditions  in  school  buildings, 
or  health  classes  for  janitors.  Health  teaching  is  probably  the 
biggest  part  of  modern  medical  inspection  work.     It  is  a  field 


242  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

that  is  as  yet  largely  undeveloped  even  in  the  most  progressive 
cities,  and  in  Brookline  it  is  almost  untouched.  When  rightly 
viewed  and  efficiently  conducted  the  work  of  the  Medical  In- 
spection Department  becomes  not  only  a  medical  activity,  but 
an  education  activity  of  high  importance. 

Dispensaries. 

It  is  exceedingly  difficult  to  carry  on  effective  health  work 
without  a  special  room  set  apart  in  each  school  building  for  use 
as  a  dispensary.  The  Devotion  Grammar  School  has  such  a 
room.  It  is  well  lighted,  easily  accessible,  properly  furnished, 
and  has  attached  to  it  a  toilet  room  with  hot  and  cold  water. 
It  is  the  only  building  in  Brookline  where  health  work  is  taken 
seriously  enough  to  provide  a  special  room  for  it. 

Most  of  the  school  physicians  are  obliged  to  make  their 
examinations  in  any  corner  which  happens  to  be  vacant.  At 
the  Heath  School  the  stage  dressing  room  proves  fairly  satis- 
factory. At  the  Pierce  the  library  is  utilized,  at  the  Lincoln 
examinations  are  made  in  an  old,  dark,  and  discarded  classroom, 
and  at  several  of  the  other  schools  doctors  are  forced  to  use  the 
teachers'  rest  room  or  even  the  main  corridor. 

There  are  no  cabinets  for  medical  supplies.  Tongue  depres- 
sors are  dropped  into  convenient  drawers,  or  wrapped  in  paper 
and  carried  from  room  to  room.  Only  a  few  of  the  schools  are 
provided  with  scales  for  measuring  weight.  Little  is  done  to 
make  the  doctor's  task  easy  or  effective. 

Every  school  should  have  a  room  definitely  set  aside  for  the 
use  of  physician  and  nurse.  Even  in  old  buildings  space  can 
usually  be  found  for  such  a  room,  and  a  little  money  and  in- 
genuity will  make  it  usable.  Rooms  should  be  painted  white, 
well  lighted,  with  adjustable  window  shades,  and  provided  with 
good  artificial  light  as  well.  There  should  be  at  least  one  small 
table  with  a  drawer,  several  chairs,  a  screen,  a  medical  cabinet 
with  lock  for  holding  supplies,  hot  and  cold  water  with  soap, 
paper  towels,  and  if  possible  a  toilet  adjoining,  a  white  enamel 
pail  for  waste  materials,  a  fihng  case  and  index  for  fifing  physical 
examination  cards,  a  supply  of  blank  forms,  and  a  simple  first 


Provisions  for  Safeguarding  Health  243 

aid  equipment.  Every  school  in  Brookline,  primary,  elementary, 
or  secondary,  should  be  supplied  at  once  with  such  an  office  for 
the  use  of  medical  inspector  and  nurse. 

The  School  Nurse. 

Brookline  has  one  school  nurse,  who  has  been  in  the  employ- 
ment of  the  Department  since  1909.  If  two  other  nurses  of  the 
same  caliber  could  be  secured  the  medical  inspection  work  in 
Brookline  would  more  than  double  its  strength.  In  terms  of 
improved  health  of  the  school  children  this  one  school  nurse  is 
probably  more  effective  than  the  entire  rest  of  the  staff.  This 
is  because  her  chief  activity  is  the  following  up  of  defects  noted. 
Her  work  is  confined  to  the  less  well-to-do  children  of  Brookline, 
and  consists  very  largely  in  talking  with  children,  making  per- 
sonal visits  to  their  homes,  conferring  with  teachers,  and  taking 
children  to  different  medical  dispensaries  for  treatment. 

If  at  the  beginning  of  her  work  there  was  any  doubt  in  Brook- 
line as  to  the  desirabihty  of  having  a  school  nurse,  results  already 
secured  present  incontrovertible  evidence  as  to  the  value  of  her 
services.  In  talking  with  principals  and  medical  inspectors 
concerning  the  possible  extension  of  the  work,  very  few  adverse 
comments  were  heard.  One  principal  said  that  she  did  not 
wish  the  school  nurse  to  do  any  follow-up  work  because  she  felt 
that  the  relation. of  principal  with  pupils  and  parents  was  so 
intimate  and  personal  that  it  ought  not  to  be  shattered  by  the 
intrusion  of  a  third  person.  One  of  the  medical  inspectors  stated 
that  he  believes  a  school  nurse  would  be  useful  in  an  entirely 
subordinate  capacity  to  the  medical  inspector.  He  felt  that  she 
could  be  employed  in  taking  children  back  and  forth  between 
the  school  and  the  medical  dispensary,  or  in  other  ways  running 
errands  for  the  inspector.  He  did  not  feel  that  she  should  ever 
be  allowed  to  act  upon  her  own  initative. 

It  is  noticeable  that  neither  of  these  speakers  has  had  personal 
experience  with  the  nurse  who  is  now  employed  by  Brookline,  since 
the  schools  with  which  they  are  connected  do  not  belong  to  the 
group  where  the  school  nurse  has  concentrated  her  efforts.  In 
every  case  where  the  question  of  employing  school  nurses  was 


244  School  Sukvey  of  Brookline 

discussed  with  persons  who  had  tried  the  plan  the  response  was 
favorable,  immediate,  and  enthusiastic. 

"I  should  like  a  full-time  nurse  for  both  of  my  schools. 
I  don't  want  to  share  her  with  any  one  else."     {Medical  Inspector.) 

"I  could  gladly  keep  the  present  school  nurse  busy  all  the 
time."     (Medical  Inspector.) 

"I  don't  see  half  enough  of  the  school  nurse.  I  could  use 
her  at  least  two  days  in  every  week."     (Principal.) 

''I  could  use  at  least  one-half  of  a  nurse's  time  right  here  in 
this  school"     (Principal.) 

"1  am  strongly  in  favor  of  additional  nurses  for  follow-up 
work  among  the  older  girls."     (Medical  Inspector.) 

*'I  think  that  if  we  had  two  more  nurses  they  could  handle 
between  them  the  Cabot,  Driscoll,  Longwood,  Runkle  and  De- 
votion Schools."     (Medical  Inspector.) 

"1  should  personally  think  that  if  we  had  additional  nurses 
they  could  do  the  follow-up  work,  which  badly  needs  attention, 
and  also  carry  a  good  deal  of  the  inspection  for  contagious  dis- 
eases."    (Medical  Inspector.) 

^'1  could  use  the  entire  time  of  the  school  nurse  just  in  this 
one  building."     (Principal.) 

"I  told  one  of  the  doctors  that  the  school  nurse  was  worth  a 
dozen  niedical  inspectors  —  and  that  doctor  agreed  with  me." 
(Principal.) 

"1  hardly  think  that  parents  would  like  it  if  we  had  some  one 
here  called  a  school  nurse,  but  if  we  could  call  her  a  school  visitor 
I  think  her  services  would  be  very  desirable  and  that  she  could 
do  good  work  among  the  parents."     (Principal.) 

The  services  of  a  competent  school  nurse  are  of  such  impressive 
value  that  authorities  are  now  suggesting  that  where  both  doctor 
and  mu-se  cannot  be  employed  because  of  shortage  of  funds  the 
money  should  be  put  into  the  salary  of  one  or  more  school  nurses 
and  no  doctor  should  be  employed.  It  is  now  an  accepted  prin- 
ciple in  medical  inspection  administration  that  the  number  of 
nurses  in  every  school  community  should  be  greater  than  the 
number  of  doctors.  They  should  work  with  doctors  wherever 
possible,  but  a  nurse  can  do  effective  work  without  a  doctor,  while 


Provisions  for  Safeguarding  Health  245 

it  is  almost  impossible  for  a  doctor  to  do  effective  work  without  a 
school  nurse. 

The  school  nurse  assists  the  doctor  in  his  annual  physical 
examination;  she  helps  him  with  the  examination,  and  enters 
records  on  the  card.  When  defects  are  discovered  she  attends  to 
sending  notices  to  the  parents  and  to  receiving  their  replies  as 
to  what  has  been  done.  In  cases  where  no  reply  has  been  re- 
ceived from  the  parent  she  makes  personal  visits  to  explain  the 
nature  of  the  trouble  and  the  importance  of  having  it  remedied. 
She  invites  parents  to  the  school  to  meet  the  doctor.  Where 
they  are  poor  she  gains  their  consent  to  take  children  to  a  public 
clinic.  She  accompanies  the  children  there  and  takes  them  home 
again.  She  holds  conferences  with  mothers  and  teaches  them  how 
to  care  for  the  health  of  their  children.  She  conducts  health 
classes  among  children  and  teachers.  She  is  not  only  a  nurse,  but 
she  is  actually  a  hygiene  teacher  in  the  school. 

Such  is  the  work  of  the  modern  school  nurse.  The  present 
nurse  in  Brookline,  apparently  without  supervision  and  largely 
on  her  own  initiative,  has  introduced  most  of  the  forms  of  work 
here  mentioned.  It  is  unfortunate  that  because  of  lack  of  time 
and  strength  she  is  obliged  to  confine  her  work  to  schools  in  the 
poorer  sections  of  the  town,  for  there  is  ample  evidence  that  chil- 
dren of  the  well-to-do  are  nearly  as  much  in  need  of  wise  and 
skillful  care«as  are  children  of  the  poor.  Parents  who  are  genuinely 
interested  in  the  care  of  their  children  are  the  first  to  welcome  the 
services  of  the  school  nurse;  and  if  the  leading  citizens  of  Brookline 
are  wise  they  will  demand  that  no  child  in  the  Brookhne  public 
schools  shall  be  refused  a  share  in  the  health  teaching  merely 
because  his  parents  have  money. 


246 


School  Survey  of  Brookline 


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PER  CENT  OF  ALL  SCHOOL  CHILDREN  EXAMINED  BY 
TEACHERS  WHO  WERE  REPORTED  AS  HAVING  DE- 
FECTIVE EYESIGHT,  BROOKLINE,  MASS.,  1916. 


DIAGRAM  XII. 


Provisions  for  Safeguarding  Health  247 

Vision  and  Hearing  Tests. 

In  accordance  with  the  provision  of  the  Massachusetts  State 
law,  tests  of  vision  and  hearing  are  made  annually  by  the  teachers 
and  reports  of  the  conditions  found  sent  to  the  State  authorities. 
Diagram  XII  shows  the  per  cent  of  all  children  examined  in  each 
school  who  were  reported  to  be  suffering  from  defects  of  vision. 
Figures  range  from  two  per  cent  in  the  Devotion  School  to  25 
per  cent  in  the  Driscoll,  Lawrence  and  Practical  Arts  Schools. 

The  results  of  American  and  European  experience  show  that 
at  least  10  per  cent  of  all  school  children  are  suffering  from  seri- 
ously defective  vision.  This  is  the  minimum  proportion  and  care- 
ful examination  will  almost  invariably  disclose  a  considerably 
larger  number.  In  Brookline  it  will  be  seen  that  five  schools 
report  less  than  10  per  cent  defective  and  eight  schools  report 
more  than  10  per  cent. 

This  high  showing  indicates  two  things  —  first,  that  appar- 
ently BrookUne  teachers  are  skillful  at  detecting  imperfect  vision. 
In  the  second  place  the  findings  indicate  that  defective  vision  is 
very  commonly  found  in  BrookUne  and  that  special  care  must  be 
taken  to  follow  up  the  results  and  see  that  every  child  who  shows 
need  of  treatment  is  actually  placed  under  the  care  of  a  competent 
occulist. 

Diagram  XIII,  which  is  on  the  same  scale  as  Diagram  XII, 
represents  the  per  cent  of  all  children  examined  in  each  school  who 
are  reported  by  the  teachers  as  showing  defective  hearing.  In 
this  case  the  comparative  showing  is  not  so  good.  Per  cents  range 
from  no  cases  of  deafness  found  in  the  Sewall  School  to  nine  per 
cent  of  all  cases  found  defective  at  the  high  school.  It  is  generally 
stated  that  examination  will  show  that  at  least  five  per  cent  of 
all  school  children  have  defective  vision,  and  if  examination  is 
made  very  carefully  a  considerably  higher  percentage  will  usually 
be  found.  In  only  one  school  in  BrookUne  was  the  percentage  of 
deafness  recorded  as  higher  than  five.  This  indicates  that  teach- 
ers are  not  so  successful  in  locating  defective  hearing  as  they  are 
in  locating  defective  vision. 

In  placing  the  examination  of  eyes  and  ears  in  the  hands  of 
school  teachers  it  was  not  the  intent  of  the  Massachusetts  law  to 


248  School  Survey  of  Brookline 


per|cent  of  all  school  children  examined  by 
i^teachers  who  were  reported  as  having  de- 
FECTIVE HEARING,  BROOKLINE,  MASS.,  1916. 

DIAGRAM  XIII. 


Provisions  for  Safeguarding  Health  249 

forbid  examination  by  physicians  employed  by  the  school.  The 
law  seeks  to  see  to  it  that  every  child,  even  where  medical  inspection 
is  not  enforced,  receives  attention  in  these  two  important  fields. 
In  Brookline  several  of  the  medical  inspectors  expressed  the  opinion 
that,  since  teachers  made  tests  of  hearing  and  vision,  medical  in- 
spectors are  supposed  to  "keep  hands  off"  and  have  no  responsi- 
bility in  the  matter.  In  the  opinion  of  the  Surveyor,  this  is  an 
unfortunate  attitude.  As  is  shown  by  Diagram  XII,  teachers  are 
very  successful  in  giving  vision  tests.  Almost  undoubtedly  the 
hearing  examinations  could  also  be  made  more  effective  if  the 
Medical  Inspection  Department  took  special  pains  to  see  to  it 
that  teachers  understand  how  to  use  the  test  and  know  what 
symptoms  to  look  for  in  regular  classroom  work.  The  department 
should  co-operate  in  every  way  with  the  teachers  in  order  to  help 
them  carry  out  the  provisions  of  the  law,  and  in  all  cases  where 
teachers  are  in  doubt  they  should  be  able  to  refer  the  child  to 
some  one  in  the  Medical  Inspection  Department  who  would  be 
competent  to  make  a  more  complete  examination.  In  the  1907 
report  by  the  School  Committee  Dr.  Chase  writes:  "It  should  be 
understood  that  the  recent  act  passed  by  the  legislature,  provid- 
ing for  the  examination  of  the  vision  only  of  school  children  by 
the  teachers,  while  a  step  in  the  right  direction,  will  in  itself  be 
quite  inadequate  as  a  means  of  finding  out  all  those  who  are  in 
reality  suffering  from  eye  strain." 

The  department  should  also  take  charge  of  following  up  the 
results  of  examinations  and  seeing  to  it  that,  in  the  case  of  every 
child  who  is  reported  as  suffering  from  defective  vision  or  de- 
fective hearing,  parents  are  notified  and  special  efforts  made  to 
secure  proper  treatment.  The  teacher  should  not  be  held  re- 
sponsible for  the  success  of  the'  medical  inspection  follow-up 
work  on  these  two  features. 

The  work  now  being  done  in  detecting  defects  of  vision  and 
hearing  is  of  good  quality,  but  can  be  strengthened  if  the  school 
physicians  will  co-operate  more  fully.  This  is  a  most  important 
branch  of  the  medical  inspection  work,  and  deserves  every  help 
which  inspectors  can  give  to  make  it  more  effective. 


250         School  Survey  of  Brookline 

Special  Classes  for  Physically  Handicapped  Children. 

Not  only  is  it  essential  that  every  child  suffering  from  de- 
fective vision  or  defective  hearing  shall  receive  special  examina- 
tion and  treatment  at  the  hands  of  specialists  in  these  fields, 
but  it  is  also  essential  that,  where  any  children  are  found  seriously 
handicapped,  special  provision  shall  be  made  for  them  in  the 
public  school.  For  example,  if  a  child  cannot  see  the  blackboard 
from  his  regular  seat  or  if  he  cannot  hear  what  the  teacher  says 
he  should  be  given  a  seat  near  the  front  of  the  room. 

If  several  children  are  found  seriously  handicapped  it  is 
usually  necessary  to  provide  a  special  room  with  special  teacher 
where  they  will  spend  certain  hours  during  the  school  day  at 
special  studies.  It  is  usually  not  wise  entirely  to  separate  these 
children  from  normal  children.  They  should  be  allowed  to  join 
with  their  fellows  in  exercises  which  they  can  easily  do,  but  in 
all  matters  where  strain  is  involved  they  should  be  given  in- 
struction under  conditions  planned  to  meet  their  needs.  For 
example,  if  children  are  suffering  from  serious  eye  defects  it  is 
always  desirable  to  place  them  in  classrooms  with  special  illumina- 
tion. If  children  are  incurably  deaf  it  is  frequently  necessary 
to  give  them  instruction  in  lip  reading,  so  that  they  may  freely 
communicate  with  other  people,  and  if  children  stutter  they 
should  be  given  a  few  minutes  of  training  each  day  by  a  highly 
skilled  speech  teacher.  It  is  probably  true  that  careful  investi- 
gation would  disclose  cases  of  many  children  suffering  from  deaf- 
ness, stuttering,  malnutrition,  or  mental  defects,  which  call  for 
special  classes  or  special  forms  of  instruction. 

Brookline  already  has  data  for  considering  the  possibility 
of  forming  special  classes  for  one  group  of  the  physically  handi- 
capped. Very  recently  a  Massachusetts  commission  has  been 
studying  conditions  of  eyesight  throughout  the  State.  This 
commission  has  found  many  BrookUne  children  with  vision  so 
seriously  deficient  that  in  its  opinion  special  classes  should  be 
formed  for  them.  It  reports  the  following  cases  of  pupils  who 
should  be  included  in  such  classes. 


Provisions  for  Safeguarding  Health  251 

Seriously  Defective 
School  Eyesight 

Longwood 3  children 

Driscoll '4  children 

Sewall 5  children 

Heath 6  children 

Lawrence 9  children 

Runlde 10  children 

Devotion 11  children 

Pierce 17  children 

Lincoln 25  children 

Total 90  children 

This  means  if  the  report  of  the  commission  is  to  be  accepted 
that  there  are  today  at  least  90  children  in  the  Brookline  schools 
who  are  suffering  from  vision  so  seriously  defective  as  to  call 
for  special  classroom  conditions.  The  question  of  the  desirability 
of  estabhshing  such  classes  naturally  falls  to  the  Medical  Inspec- 
tion Department,  which  should  without  delay  give  careful  con- 
sideration to  the  matter  and  lay  its  conclusions  and  recommenda- 
tions before  the  School  Committee. 

The  Fresh  Air  Class. 

In  September,  1911,  a  fresh  air  room  was  established  at  the 
Parsons  School  for  children  in  the  second  grade.  This  room  is 
still  maintained.  It  is  a  fresh  air  class,  but  not  what  is  technically 
known  as  an  open  air  school. 

Windows  and  doors  are  kept  wide  open,  and  temperature 
is  maintained  at  about  55°  F.  Children  are  protected  from  the 
cold  by  sweaters  and  sitting-out  bags  which  keep  the  lower  parts 
of  their  bodies  warm.  For  the  first  year  careful  record  was  made 
of  height,  weight,  and  general  physical  condition,  but  now  little 
attention  is  paid  to  these  matters. 

The  regime  of  the  standard  open  air  class  is  not  followed. 
There  are  no  cot  beds  or  steamer  chairs  where  children  may  rest 
in  the  open  air.  There  are  no  special  facilities  for  washing  face 
or  hands  or  cleaning  teeth.  No  toilet  is  near.  There  is  no  effort 
to  fortify  children  against  the  cold  by  supplying  them  with  fuel 


252  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

in  the  form  of  extra  feeding.  When  the  class  was  first  started 
private  funds  were  donated  so  that  fresh  air  pupils  might  have 
a  glass  of  milk  in  the  middle  of  the  morning,  but  lately  this  has 
been  given  up. 

^  At  the  time  that  Survey  tests  were  made  the  air  of  the  class- 
room was  very  dry.  On  that  day,  moreover,  most  of  the  air 
came  in  by  way  of  the  door  and  stairway  leading  to  the  basement 
toilets  and  used  the  windows  to  escape;  but  this  may  have  been 
a  more  fortunate  arrangement  than  having  air  enter  through 
the  windows,  since  when  the  Surveyor  touched  the  table  she 
left  an  imprint  of  her  fingers  in  the  layer  of  dust  which  covered 
it.  The  surface  of  the  playground  is  improperly  finished,  and 
every  time  the  wind  blows  clouds  of  dust  swirl  through  the  win- 
dows and  settle  on  the  desks  of  children  in  the  fresh  air  room. 

The  teacher  of  the  fresh  air  class  is  keenly  interested.  She 
believes  in  its  value  and  would  argue  hotly  against  it  being  given 
up.  Yet  there  is  grave  question  whether  Brookhne  is  justified 
in  subjecting  children  to  low  temperatures  while  at  the  same  time 
it  pays  so  httle  attention  to  equipping  them  for  open  air  study. 
It  is  certainly  fortunate  that  the  children  who  belong  are  strong 
and  healthy  instead  of  anaemic  or  pre-tubercular;  for  few  sick 
children  could  stand  the  exposure. 

An  open  air  class  should  be  run  scientifically  or  not  at  all. 
When  the  health  of  children  is  involved  there  is  no  place  for 
carelessness  or  half-way  measures.  If  Brookhne  is  to  have  a  real 
open  air  class  she  must  provide  a  room  designed  for  that  purpose, 
where  air  comes  from  outdoors  instead  of  from  the  cellar,  and 
where  dust  does  not  pour  into  the  lungs  of  children.  She  must 
provide  couches  where  children  may  sleep  for  an  hour,  outdoors, 
and  warmly  covered.  Above  all,  she  must  provide  hot  and  nour- 
ishing food,  prepared  under  skilled  direction,  and  in  generous 
quantity. 

Fresh  air,  rest,  and  food  are  three  factors  which  have  led 
to  the  success  of  the  open  air  school.  No  one  of  the  three  can  be 
dispensed  with.  Brookline,  with  its  keen  interest  in  the  tuber- 
culosis problem,  should  logically  subscribe  to  the  theory  of  the 
open  air  school.     It  might  well  have  several  classes  instead  of 


Provisions  for  Safeguarding  Health  253 

one;  but  it  must  be  prepared  to  conduct  those  classes  according 
to  accepted  scientific  procedure,  with  careful  supervision  for  not 
one  year  only,  but  for  every  year.  The  open  air  class  is  too  delicate 
an  experiment  to  be  started,  carried  on  half-heartedly,  and  then 
forgotten. 

c. 

Physical  Training  Department. 

There  is  a  noticeable  lack  of  co-operation  between  the  Medical 
Inspection  and  the  Physical  Training  Departments.  There  is 
no  machinery  by  means  of  which  members  of  one  group  become 
famihar  with  the  work  of  the  other.  The  Physical  Training 
teacher  rarely  has  access  to  the  individual  health  cards  of  pupils, 
nor  does  the  school  physician  receive  any  report  of  the  examinations 
made  by  the  Physical  Training  people. 

For  example,  last  year  the  Physical  Training  Department 
made  examinations  of  elementary  school  children  with  a  view  to 
ascertaining  which  ones  needed  corrective  posture  exercises. 
It  should  have  been  possible  to  secure  all  of  this  information, 
without  delay  by  reference  to  the  medical  inspectors  in  charge, 
and  special  examinations  should  have  been  needed  only  for  fur- 
ther study  of  cases  where  defects  had  already  been  noted.  A 
specialist  was  employed  by  the  Physical  Training  Department  to 
conduct  posture  work  for  physically  handicapped  children,  but 
apparently  only  one  of  the  medical  inspectors  ever  referred 
children  whom  he  had  examined  to  the  Physical  Training  Depart- 
ment for  special  attention. 

Something  is  certainly  wrong  in  a  system  where  two  groups 
of  people  are  supposed  to  be  working  for  the  same  ends  and  yet 
rarely  co-operate  with  each  other.  Physical  Training  should  be 
closely  associated  with  Medical  Inspection.  There  should  be 
constant  reference  of  children  by  the  medical  inspectors  to  the 
Physical  Training  teachers  and  in  turn  the  Physical  Training 
Department  should  be  able  to  count  on  the  support  of  the  medical 
inspectors  in  estabhshing  various  forms  of  school  health  activities. 

Take  this  question  of  posture,  for  example.  If  children  are 
discovered  in  the  public  school  with  fallen  arches  or  crooked  backs 
it  is  the  duty  of  the  school  to  see  that  these  conditions  are  remedied. 


254         School  Survey  of  Brookline 

Certain  cases  are  so  serious  as  to  call  for  the  attention  of  ortho- 
pedic specialists.  Others  can  be  greatly  helped  by  simple  exer- 
cises in  school.  Whether  these  exercises  are  carried  on  under 
the  specific  direction  of  a  medical  inspector  or  of  a  Physical 
Training  teacher  is  immaterial.  The  important  point  is  that 
whoever  is  placed  in  charge  should  be  a  specialist  in  corrective 
gymnastics,  and  fully  competent  to  carry  on  the  work. 

The  adapting  of  Physical  Training  classes  to  fit  small  groups 
of  children  with  different  needs  is  a  tendency  which  corresponds 
to  modern  movements  toward  special  classes  for  exceptional 
children,  differentiated  courses,  varying  promotion  rates,  and 
the  hke,  which  are  rapidly  changing  our  whole  conception  of 
school  organization.  The  Medical  Inspection  Department  not 
only  should  approve,  but  should  demand,  that  the  Physical  Training 
supervisor  make  provision  for  meeting  the  special  needs  of  chil- 
dren suffering  from  various  types  of  physical  handicap.  Physical 
Training  is  an  extension  and  specialization  of  the  general  health 
work  field.  Neither  department  can  hope  to  carry  on  its  work 
efficiently  without  the  co-operation  of  the  other. 

Clinics. 

A  dental  chnic  has  this  year  been  estabhshed  by  the  Board 
of  Health  in  the  Pierce  primary  building.  Dental  work  is  probably 
more  important  than  ai;iy  other  single  phase  of  ameliorative 
medical  inspection  work.  Every  school  system  should  have  a 
dental  chnic  where  its  children  can  be  treated.  The  new  clinic 
in  Brookhne  will  undoubtedly  demonstrate  its  value  within  the 
first  year  of  its  existence. 

It  is  suggested  that  in  sending  school  children  to  the  dental 
chnic  preference  be  given  to  those  in  the  primary  grades.  If  an 
attempt  were  made  to  treat  all  children  in  all  nine  grades,  the 
school  dentist  would  never  catch  up  with  the  task;  but  if  those 
in  the  first,  second,  and  third  grades  are  treated  and  then  followed 
up  each  year  during  their  stay  in  school,  the  more  serious  dental 
conditions  can  be  gradually  eliminated.  Concentrate  effort 
on  the  younger  children  whose  teeth  have  not  yet  become  badly 


Provisions  for  Safeguarding  Health  255 

damaged.  It  is  particularly  true  in  dental  work  that  prevention 
is  of  greater  importance  than  cure. 

A  tuberculosis  cUnic  is  also  held  under  town  auspices,  and 
pubHc  school  children  are  frequently  taken  there  by  the  school 
nurse.     This  again  is  distinctly  a  move  in  the  right  direction. 

There  are  no  dispensaries  or  clinics  conducted  under  direc- 
tion of  the  school  authorities.  Several  years  ago  the  question 
of  establishing  such  cUnics  was  widely  discussed  and  recommenda- 
tions concerning  them  were  adopted,  but  chiiicsN  themselves  did 
not  materialize.  Nurse  and  doctors  state  that  it  is  frequently 
difficult  to  secure  proper  attention  for  Brookline  children  in  the 
public  clinics  of  Boston.  Eye,  nose,  throat,  and  orthopedic 
cases  are  usually  put  upon  the  -waiting  Ust  and  serious  delay 
ensues. 

If  Brookline  feels  that  it  is  too  small  a  community  to  provide 
chnics  for  the  sole  use  of  its  own  children,  it  should  make  some 
provision  so  that  children  who  need  attention  wiU  not  have  to  be 
dependent  upon  the  casual  courtesy  of  a  neighboring  metropohs. 
BrookHne  has  for  several  years  furnished  schoolhouses  and  teachers 
for  Boston  children  upon  the  payment  of  tuition.  It  should  be 
equally  possible  to  secure  medical  services  in  Boston  for  Brookline 
children  on  a  somewhat  similar  basis.  Whatever  plan  is  adopted, 
action  should  be  taken  without  delay.  Chnical  care  for  children 
who  need  it  is  too  important  to  rest  on  chance. 

School  Feeding. 

Brookline  has  for  many  years  followed  the  one-session  plan 
of  organization;  that  is  classes  open  at  half -past  eight  in  the 
morning  and  are  continued  until  12.30,  1.00,  or  1.30.  A  little 
after  the  middle  of  the  morning  a  half-hour  recess  is  allowed 
during  which  time  children  who  live  near  the  school  run  home  to 
get  something  to  eat,  while  others  either  carry  food  with  them 
or  buy  it  from  local  stores.  Frequently  children  prefer  to  use 
the  half-hour  period  as  play  time  and  go  without  any  food.  It 
is  strongly  the  opinion  of  the  Surveyor  that  if  the  one-session 
plan  is  continued  provision  should  be  made  to  insure  all  children's 
having  a  Hght  lunch  in  the  middle  of  the  morning  period. 


256  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

During  the  recess  period  children  can  be  seen  racing  madly 
through  the  streets  in  an  effort  to  reach  their  homes,  get  some- 
thing to  eat,  and  return  again  before  the  recess  period  is  ended. 
There  is  not  time  enough  for  most  of  them  to  eat  slowly.  Some- 
times they  carry  pieces  of  food  in  their  hands  and  gulp  them 
down  while  they  run.  Many  children,  especially  in  the  poorer 
districts,  are  given  money  by  their  parents  to  buy  doughnuts, 
cake,  pickles,  and  licorice  sticks  to  satisfy  their  mid-morning 
hunger.  When  it  is  remembered  that  most  of  these  children  have 
breakfast  about  half-past  seven  and  do  not  reach  home  again  until 
almost  two  o'clock,  the  necessity  of  seeing  to  it  that  they  have 
something  more  than  a  hasty  bite  in  the  middle  of  the  morning 
becomes  very  clear.  Most  of  the  teachers  bring  their  own  lunches 
to  eat  at  this  time,  but  there  is  no  supervision  of  what  happens 
to  the  children. 

Lunch  is,  however,  served  both  at  the  high  school  and  at  the 
Practical  Arts  building.  At  the  high  school  it  is  in  the  hands 
of  a  caterer  who  is  given  the  privilege  of  using  the  high  school 
building  and  equipment,  but  furnishes  other  supplies.  The 
Surveyor  lunched  several  times  at  the  high  school.  Food  is 
served  in  Very  small  helpings  and  is  frequently  more  expensive 
than  it  would  be  outside  at  an  ordinary  commercial  establishment. 
For  example,  sandwiches  made  of  a  very  thin  slice  of  bread  cut 
in  half  and  sparsely  covered  with  a  thin  coating  of  peanut  butter 
sell  for  six  cents  apiece.  Many  children  of  the  better  class  in 
the  high  school  do  not  buy  lunches  because  they  feel  that  they 
cannot  afford  what  seems  to  them  an  excessive  charge.  Others 
of  the  high  school  students  take  their  recess  time  to  go  over  to 
the  Practical  Arts  building  and  purchase  their  lunches  there. 

Lunch  at  the  Practical  Arts  is  prepared  by  students  in  the 
Domestic  Science  classes.  It  is  the  opinion  of  the  Surveyor  that 
the  food  is  better  cooked,  more  attractively  served,  and  dis- 
tinctly lower  in  price  than  that  provided  in  the  main  high  school 
building. 

This  report  strongly  urges  that  if  Brookhne  is  to  continue 
with  the  one-session  plan,  she  adopt  a  system  of  school  lunches 
for  both  secondary  and  elementary  schools,   prepared  at  cost. 


Provisions  for  Safeguarding  Health  257 

and  sold  in  penny  portions.  She  should  not  continue  to  place  this 
responsibility  upon  individual  parents.  In  the  first  place,  there 
are  many  parents,  even  among  the  comfortably  well-to-do,  who 
neglect  to  provide  suitable  lunch  for  their  children  at  the  recess 
period.  In  the  second  place  even  where  parents  do  make  such 
provision  most  of  them  would  gladly  avail  themselves  of  lunches 
served  at  the  school  if  they  could  be  assured  that  the  food  supplied 
there  would  be  of  good  quality,  properly  prepared,  and  selected 
under  the  direction  of  a  skilled  dietitian. 

The  objection  probably  will  be  raised  that  school  children 
do  not  have  money  to  pay  for  lunches.  The  answer  is  that  most 
of  them  already  have  it  and  are  spending  it  on  lunches  which 
they  buy  outside  of  school.  This  is  particularly  true  of  children 
who  come  from  poor  families.  If  food  is  sold  in  the  schools  in 
penny  portions,  intelligently  selected,  and  carefully  displayed, 
children  will  gladly  pay  for  it  the  money  which  they  are  now 
spending  at  the  nearest  candy  store. 

Every  school  child  in  Brookhne  should  have  the  opportunity 
to  buy  during  the  recess  at  school  at  least  one  hot  dish  and  one  or 
several  cold  dishes.  The  lunch  service  should  not  be  rented  out 
and  run  for  profit.  It  should  be  kept  under  the  direction  of  the 
school  authorities.  At  the  head  of  the  lunch  service  there  should 
be  a  trained  dietitian  who  understands  the  science  of  food  values 
and  has  had  experience  in  catering  to  the  tastes  of  public  school 
children.  In  a  town  as  small  as  Brookline  the  school  lunch 
probably  cannot  pay  for  itself,  but  receipts  from  the  children 
should  be  made  to  cover  costs  of  material. 

Probably  the  most  economical  and  efficient  method  of  ad- 
ministration would  be  for  Brookhne  to  have  one  special  kitchen, 
probably  at  the  high  school  or  Junior  High  School  building,  where 
all  food  for  Brookhne  schools  would  be  prepared.  Distances 
are  short  enough  in  Brookline  so  that  by  a  little  careful  planning 
foods  could  be  carried  from  the  central  kitchen  in  an  automobile 
to  different  parts  of  the  school  system.  If  food  is  properly  packed 
in  heat-retaii>ing  receptacles  it  can  be  kept  hot  for  a  sufficiently 
long  period.  This  plan  of  the  central  kitchen  means  that  only 
one  cook  need  be  hired  instead  of  having  a  cook  for  every  building. 


258  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

It  means  that  food  will  be  better  cooked,  less  material  will  be 
wasted,  and  there  will  be  a  uniformity  of  product  which  it  is 
difficult  to  secure  under  the  separate  kitchen  organization. 

Pubhc  school  lunches  for  elementary  children  are  being 
adopted  all  over  the  country,  even  where  schools  are  on  the  two- 
session  plan.  In  Brookline,  where  one  session  is  tenaciously 
adhered  to,  the  necessity  of  providing  properly  cooked  food  for 
the  mid-morning  recess  is  too  urgent  to  be  longer  neglected. 

Costs. 

It  is  very  difficult  to  judge  how  wisely  money  is  spent  for 
medical  inspection  in  Brookline.  All  the  inspectors  are  paid 
one  dollar  an  hour  for  their  services.  They  make  no  report 
concerning  the  days  of  their  visits  or  the  work  done,  but  at  some- 
what irregular  intervals,  usually  a  month  or  more  apart,  send 
in  their  bills.  During  the  year  1915-16  members  of  the  regular 
medical  inspection  staff  spent  from  59  to  300  hours  each,  carrying 
on  medical  inspection  work  in  the  schools.  The  amount  of  time 
spent  ranges  all  the  way  between  these  two  figures,  with  the 
medium  or  middle  case  at  108  hours. 

The  school  nurse  is  paid  $1000  a  year.  It  is  impos- 
sible to  tell  with  any  certainty  how  many  hours  she  gives  dur- 
ing the  year,  but  probably  a  fair  estimate  is  seven  hours  a  day 
for  a  school  year  of  200  school  days,  or  about  1400  hours  a  year. 
One  reason  for  the  undoubted  effectiveness  of  the  nurse's  work 
is  that  she  is  able  to  spend  long  periods  of  time  without  interrup- 
tion on  school  service.  The  work  of  the  doctors,  on  the  other 
hand,  is  broken  up  into  very  small  units. 

The  total  cost  of  the  Medical  Inspection  Department  for 
the  year  1915-16  was  $2759.  In  a  study  of  25  eastern  cities, 
Dr.  Rapeer  finds  that  1.1  per  cent  of  the  total  school  budget  is 
spent  for  medical  inspection;  but  Dr.  Terman  claims  that  this 
is  usually  too  low.  Were  the  sum  reported  by  Dr.  Rapeer  spent 
in  Brookline  the  yearly  budget  of  the  Medical  Inspection  Depart- 
ment would  be  a  httle  over  $3000. 

Dr.  Terman  believes  that  effective  medical  inspection  work 
in  any  city  cannot  be  done  for  less  than  75  cents  per  child,  and 


300— 


Provisions  for  Safeguarding  Health 

300 


259 


250— 


200— 


150- 


100— 


50— 


0— 


ABCDEFGHl       JKLM 


HOURS  SPENT  DURING  ONE  YEAR  IN  THE  MEDICAL  INSPEC- 
TION OF  SCHOOL  CHILDREN  BY  EACH  OF  13  PHYSICIANS 
BROOKLINE,  MASS.,  JULY  1,  1915— JUNE  31,  1916. 


DIAGRAM  XIV. 


260  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

that  small  communities  must  be  prepared  to  spend  at  least  one 
dollar  for  the  health  supervision  of  every  pupil.  In  Brookline 
the  annual  expenditure  for  each  pubUc  school  child  is  approxi- 
mately 59  cents.  Between  $700  and  S800  a  year  must  be  added 
to  the  present  budget  to  meet  the  minimum  figure  suggested 
by  Dr.  Terman.  The  Terman  figure  is  that  recommended  in 
the  recent  survey  report  on  certain  phases  of  the  public  school 
system  in  Boston.     (Boston  City  Document  87;  1916.) 

Brookline  is  a  small  community  and  in  order  to  secure  the 
same  results  she  must  be  prepared  to  pay  a  somewhat  greater 
amount  per  pupil  than  is  necessary  in  larger  cities.  It  is,  therefore, 
essential  that  every  step  be  taken  to  avoid  waste  and  secure  the 
greatest  possible  effectiveness  for  every  dollar  spent.  There  are 
three  features  of  the  present  form  of  administration  which  should 
be  changed  in  order  to  secure  more  economical  use  of  funds : 

1.  There  are  too  many  people  on  the  staff.  For  a  school 
population  of  approximately  4500  there  are  10  part-time  public 
school  physicians  (including  a  woman  physician  at  the  high 
school),  and  one  full-time  nurse.  Another  physician  has  charge 
of  the  work  at  the  parochial  school.  This  means  that  there  is 
one  physician  for  approximately  every  450  public  school  children, 
including  those  of  high  school  age.  Were  it  possible  to  avoid 
delays  in  handling  pupils,  recording  examinations,  and  the  like, 
one  skillful  physician  on  full  time  would  be  able  to  handle  in  an 
effective  manner  work  which  is  now  carried  by  the  10  part-time 
physicians. 

2.  The  school  population  in  Brookline  is  distributed  among 
a  number  of  small  buildings.  It  is  impossible  to  handle  children 
so  rapidly  in  small  groups  as  when  they  are  in  large  groups.  Time 
is  spent  in  going  from  school  to  school,  and  in  making  arrangements 
with  different  principals.  Frequently  the  examinations  at  one 
school  are  finished  before  the  end  of  the  session,  but  there  is  not 
sufficient  time  to  reach  another  school.  The  distribution  of 
children  in  small  groups  widely  separated  involves  constant  delay 
which  in  turn  makes  it  necessary  to  increase  the  number  of  workers 
in  order  to  get  the  task  of  inspection  finished. 


I 


Peo VISIONS  FOR  Safeguarding  Health  261 

3.  The  physicians  employed  are  highly  skilled,  yet  much 
of  their  time  is  spent  in  doing  work  which  could  be  carried  on  as 
well  by  assistants.  For  example,  the  two  visits  a  week  to  class- 
rooms constitute  a  large  portion  of  each  physician's  service,  yet 
it  is  very  rarely  that  at  these  visits  a  sick  child  is  discovered  and 
sent  home.  Classroom  inspection  by  teachers  or  nurses  would 
probably  be  just  as  effective  as  that  now  carried  on  by  physicians 
and  would  free  the  latter  for  more  needed  work. 

Again,  much  of  the  physical  examination  work  could  be 
turned  over  to  nurses  working  under  the  direction  of  the  physician. 
Just  as  teachers  have  proved  themselves  able  to  detect  ordinary 
cases  of  defective  vision,  so  the  nurse  who  is  properly  directed 
can  take  height  and  weight,  examine  the  condition  of  the  hair, 
note  posture  defects,  hypertrophied  tonsils,  and  the  Uke,  and  leave 
the  physician  free  to  handle  cases  requiring  expert  diagnosis. 

Time  may  be  saved,  in  the  third  place;  by  reheving  the  phy- 
sician from  all  forms  of  clerical  work.  Whenever  he  makes  a 
physical  examination  he  should  be  assisted  by  a  nurse  and  the 
latter  should  have  charge  of  entering  all  findings  upon  the  in- 
dividual record  card,  and  of  sending  out  follow-up  notices. 

Concentration  of  the  work  in  the  hands  of  a  few  persons  who 
devote  their  full  time  to  it;  centralization  of  school  children  in  a 
few  large  schools  instead  of  in  many  small  ones;  and  the  assign- 
ment of  routine  tasks  to  assistants,  so  that  expensive  workers  are 
reserved  for  the  most  important  problems,  are  among  the  steps 
which  must  be  taken  in  order  to  insure  that  every  dollar  Brookline 
spends  will  bear  a  dollar's  worth  of  results. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

KINDERGARTENS. 

Liberal  Provision  for  Kindergartens. 

The  kindergarten  has  long  been  an  integral  part  of  the  public 
school  system  of  Brookhne  and  most  generous  provision  is  made 
for  its  conduct  and  support.  There  are  at  present  10  kinder- 
garten centers  in  a  total  of  11  schools  containing  primary 
grades.  This  extension  of  kindergarten  privileges  to  all  the  chil- 
dren of  all  the  people  is  characteristic  of  Brookline  and  in  har- 
mony with  the  enlightened  policy  that  seeks  to  provide  the  best 
possible  conditions  for  public  education,  whatever  may  be  the 
necessary  cost  involved. 

In  all  the  kindergartens  unusually  generous  provision  has 
been  made  for  the  comfort  and  health  of  the  pupils  and,  in  the  newer 
buildings,  the  rooms  devoted  to  the  kindergarten  are  models  in 
matters  of  location,  arrangement,  floor  space  and  lighting.  The 
kindergarten  located  in  the  high  achool  building  is  the  only  one 
that  is  laboring  under  a  serious  handicap  in  the  way  of  inadequate 
and  unsuitable  quarters.  Everywhere  else  the  rooms  are  sunny 
and  well  ventilated  and  of  a  size  sufficient  for  the  accommodation 
of  the  number  at  present  in  attendance.  Ample  provision  has 
been  made  for  storing  kindergarten  apparatus  and  supplies,  and 
the  only  handicap  in  evidence  is  a  lack  of  special  toilets  and  lava- 
tories for  the  exclusive  use  of  kindergarten  pupils.  In  several  of 
the  kindergartens  the  large  assembly  room  comprises  two  full- 
sized  schoolrooms  and  is  subdivided  by  a  rolling  partition  that 
may  be  raised  and  lowered  at  will.  These  classrooms  are  so  large 
that  a  space  sufficient  for  the  installation  of  toilets  and  lavatories 
could  be  partitioned  off  at  the  end  of  one  of  them  without  detri- 
ment to  the  plant,  and  the  gain  in  convenience  and  in  time  saved 
to  pupils  by  such  an  arrangement  would  more  than  compensate 
for  the  slight  loss  in  classroom  space.     Except  in  the  Driscoll 

262 


The  Kindergartens  263 

School,  where  the  kindergarten  toilet  facilities  are  admirable,  no 
special  toilets  have  been  provided  for  the  exclusive  use  of  kinder- 
garten children,  and  they  are  obliged  either  to  use  the  single  toilet 
in  the  teachers'  room,  or  to  share  the  basement  toilets  in  use  by 
the  grade  pupils.  This  condition  is  not  ideal  and  should  be  reme- 
died, if  possible. 

The  Brookline  kindergarten  rooms  are  very  well  kept  and 
pictures  and  growing  plants  give  to  them  a  delightfully  homelike 
atmosphere.  Several  of  the  kindergartens  occupying  these 
spacious  and  beautiful  rooms  have  so  small  an  average  attendance 
that  it  is  a  question  whether  economy  does  not  call  for  some 
adjustment  of  district  lines  that  shall  result  in  a  more  even  balance 
in  kindergarten  enrollment.  Where  an  adjustment  of  district 
lines  is  not  practicable  and  the  numbers  are  disproportionately 
small,  kindergarten  teachers  should  make  every  effort  to  fill  up 
the  ranks,  that  as  many  children  as  can  be  reached  may  enjoy 
the  privileges  afforded. 

At  the  DriscoU  School,  where  the  total  kindergarten  enroll- 
ment is  less  than  40  and  the  average  daily  attendance  during  the 
winter  months  not  more  than  25,  two  rooms,  each  33  feet  by  24 
feet,  are  devoted  exclusively  to  kindergarten  uses.  As  the  grades 
above  the  kindergarten  are  somewhat  congested,  it  is  evident 
that  in  the  near  future  one  of  the  kindergarten  rooms  will  be 
needed  for  primary  school  purposes.  When  this  readjustment 
becomes  necessary,  the  smaU  storeroom  across  the  hall  from  the 
kindergarten  should  be  made  a  kindergarten  classroom  and  the 
basement  supply  room  equipped  for  the  storage  of  the  supplies 
thus  displaced.  In  view  of  the  fact  that  the  natural  growth  of 
the  district  will  make  it  necessary,  in  time,  to  restore  to  the 
kindergarten  the  room  temporarily  cut  off  from  it,  structural 
changes  likely  to  detract  from  the  beauty  and  effectiveness  of 
the  present  kindergarten  plant  should  be  avoided. 

Organization  and  Teaching  Force. 
In  no  town  in  the  country  is  the  kindergarten  organization 
more  nearly  ideal  from  the  standpoint  of  the  kindergartner  her- 
self than  is  the  Brookline  organization.     In  most  of  the  kinder- 


264  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

gartens  there  is  a  nurse  or  helper  who  aids  the  head  kindergartner 
and  assistant  in  the  care  of  the  children  and  in  the  handling  of 
tables,  chairs  and  gift  and  occupation  materials.  In  addition 
"to  this  staff  of  director,  assistant  and  nurse,  two  or  three  students 
from  a  neighboring  kindergarten  training  school  are  assigned  to 
each  kindergarten,  and  these  young  women  are  expected  to  render 
any  assistance  that  may  be  required  of  them.  There  is  evidence 
of  a  determined  endeavor  on  the  part  of  kindergartners  to  culti- 
vate independence  and  initiative  on  the  part  of  even  the  youngest 
pupils,  but  the  well-intentioned  aid  given  to  children  by  school 
nurses  and  student  observers  frequently  tends  to  defeat  the  efforts 
of  the  teachers  to  develop  a  spirit  of  self-help.  The  student  help- 
ers are  in  many  ways  very  useful  to  the  schools,  but  it  requires 
constant  watchfulness  on  the  part  of  the  teachers  in  charge  to 
prevent  them  from  giving  children  more  help  and  attention  than 
is  good  for  them. 

In  all  kindergartens  except  the  one  in  the  Pierce  School,  the 
single  daily  session  extends  from  9  a.m.  to  12  m.  In  the  Pierce 
School  the  session  is  from  8.30  a.m.  to  11.30  a.m.  If  the  time  of 
opening  in  all  the  kindergartens  was  fixed  at  8.30,  something  would 
be  gained.  With  the  grade  schools  opening  as  they  do  at  8.30, 
kindergarten  children  who  must  be  sent  to  school  in  the  care  of 
their  older  brothers  and  sisters  are  obliged  to  wait  about  in  the 
halls  or  kindergarten  rooms  until  nine  o'clock  before  their  school 
day  begins.  Such  children  are  tired  by  the  time  the  kindergarten 
session  opens,  and  it  would  be  much  better  for  them  if  the  kinder- 
garten began  at  the  same  time  as  the  primary  schools. 

Program  and  Methods  of  Instruction. 
What  is  known  as  the  Boston  kindergarten  program  is  in 
operation  throughout  the  system  and  the  work  is  of  the  well- 
known  traditional  type.  Some  of  the  teachers  are  more  liberal 
in  spirit  and  practice  than  others,  but  there  are  fewer  evidences 
of  independent  investigation  and  initiative  on  the  part  of  teachers 
than  should  characterize  the  work  of  a  town  that  is  untrammeled 
by  many  of  the  limiting  conditions  that  obtain  in  cities,  and  that 
affords  to  its  teachers  a  wide  freedom  for  experimentation. 


I 


The  Kindergartens  265 

This  may  be  due,  in  part,  to  the  fact  that  the  Brookhne  kinder- 
gartners  hold  no  regular  teachers'  meetings  or  program  meetings 
of  their  own,  but  have,  for  years,  attended  the  Boston  program 
meetings.  While  occasional  attendance  upon  these  Boston  meet- 
ings must  prove  helpful  to  any  force  of  teachers,  the  value  of  long- 
continued  attendance  by  a  given  group  of  town  teachers  upon  a 
single  series  of  city  program  meetings  is  open  to  question.  Espe- 
cially is  this  the  case  when  the  meetings  are  planned  with  particular 
reference  to  the  needs  of  a  large  city  and  of  the  many  young  teach- 
ers who  are  each  year  added  to  the  teaching  corps.  A  small, 
carefully  selected  force  of  teachers,  subject  from  year  to  year  to 
very  few  changes  in  personnel,  may  profitably  carry  out  a  much 
more  progressive  and  flexible  program  than  any  large  city  is  likely 
to  deem  it  practicable  to  outline.  The  kindergartens  of  Brook- 
line  should  bear  the  Brookhne  stamp,  and  the  programs  should  be 
worked  out  by  the  teachers  in  conference  or  by  a  supervisor  in 
touch  with  the  local  situation  and  possessed  of  a  knowledge  of  the 
aims  and  standards  of  the  entire  school  system. 

In  most  of  the  kindergartens  the  games  and  plays  give  evi- 
dence of  a  thoughtful  effort  to  include  the  many  rather  than  the 
few  in  all  play  activities.  Games  that  were  originally  designed 
for  use  with  very  small  groups  have  been  modified  or  supplanted 
by  games  in  which  a  majority  or  all  of  a  large  group  may  actively 
participate.     This  is  in  line  with  the  best  modern  practice. 

The  kindergartens  are  equipped  with  the  most  approved 
modern  apphances  in  the  way  of  enlarged  gifts  and  occupations. 
It  is  evident,  however,  that  there  has  been  practically  no  adapta- 
tion of  method  to  the  newer  type  of  materials  and  that  the  teachers 
have  made  no  independent  study  of  the  possibihties  of  the  en- 
larged building  blocks.  In  some  of  the  kindergartens  the  enlarged 
gifts  are  used  for  building  on  the  tables  exactly  as  the  one-inch  = 
gift  material  was  used  before  the  larger  blocks  were  available.  In 
other  kindergartens  the  children  use  the  enlarged  gifts  in  building 
upon  the  floor.  As  it  is  at  present  conducted,  this  work  on  the 
floor  is  more  restricted  than  it  should  be  and  allows  for  very  Uttle 
more  bodily  freedom  than  the  table  work.  Children  sit  still  on 
the  floor  instead  of  in  their  chairs  and  there  is  more  building  to 


266  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

dictation  and  less  opportunity  for  free  building  and  community 
building  than  is  provided  by  the  more  progressive  of  the  modern 
kindergartens.  In  all  the  work  with  the  building  gifts  so  much 
time  is  consumed  in  stacking  and  boxing  the  blocks  that  children 
have  no  opportunity  to  enjoy  and  to  play  with  the  product  of  their 
handiwork.  They  are  constantly  building  up,  only  to  tear  down 
immediately.  Where  the  floor  space  will  admit  of  it,  buildings 
should  frequently  be  left  standing  long  enough  to  permit  the  build- 
ers to  enjoy  them  throughout  a  free  play  period. 

The  enlarged  weaving  mats  are  being  used  to  a  greater  or 
less  extent  in  all  the  kindergartens.  Some  kindergartens  do  con- 
siderable weaving  and  some  do  but  little.  Experience  with  weav- 
ing as  an  occupation  for  third  and  fourth-grade  pupils  has  led 
many  thoughtful  teachers  to  question  its  value  as  a  kindergarten 
occupation.  Even  the  simplest  form  of  mat  weaving  is  open  to 
objection  now  that  weaving  has  been  introduced  into  the  grades 
beyond  the  kindergarten.  Sewing  also  is  open  to  serious  question 
and  should  have  no  place  in  a  kindergarten  program. 

Spirit  and  Professional  Attitude. 
The  teachers  in  the  Brookline  kindergartens  are  cultivated, 
well-educated  women,  who  are  skiUful  and  sympathetic  in  their 
management  of  children.  Difiicult  cases  are  handled  with  much 
gentleness  and  firmness,  and  all  the  teachers  evidence  a  constant 
concern  for  the  happiness  and  welfare  of  their  pupils.  There  is  a 
spirit  of  hearty  co-operation  between  teachers  and  children  and 
there  is  evident  on  the  part  of  each  teacher  an  intense  loyalty 
toward  her  particular  kindergarten  family.  The  teachers  in  one 
kindergarten  know  very  little,  however,  about  what  is  being  done 
in  the  other  kindergartens  in  the  town,  as  they  seldom  meet  for 
conference  and  each  director  is  a  law  unto  herself  in  matters  per- 
taining to  program  making,  methods  of  instruction  and  the  fixing 
of  ends  to  be  achieved.  If  there  were  frequent  meetings  of  the 
entire  kindergarten  force  and  if  kindergartners  and  primary 
teachers  were  in  closer  touch  with  one  another  and  more  intelli- 
gent regarding  one  another's  aims  and  accomplishments,  this 
freedom  of  the  individual  teacher  might  be  made  to  serve  the 


The  Kindergartens  267 

highest  interests  of  both  kindergarten  and  grade  schools  instead 
of  tending  toward  an  undesirable  isolation. 

In  a  public  school  system  there  is  little  room  for  an  individual- 
ism that  is  not  broadly  co-operative.  Each  department  of  the 
school  needs  all  that  every  other  department  has  to  contribute  to 
it.  Education  cannot  be  cut  off  into  lengths  and  each  length 
pigeonholed  in  its  own  department.  Kindergarten  teachers  and 
grade  teachers  in  Brookline,  as  elsewhere,  need  to  get  together. 
They  need  to  see  one  another  teach,  to  compare  notes  with  one 
another,  to  engage  in  friendly  debates,  and  to  demand  from  one 
another  proofs  of  achievement.  Nothing  that  a  teacher  may  plan 
to  do  to  improve  herself  can  be  depended  upon  to  take  the  place 
of  frequent  conferences  with  her  coworkers  in  the  field  of 
education. 

There  can  be  no  question  that  a  closer  relationship  between 
the  various  kindergartens  in  Brookhne,  and  between  the  kinder- 
garten and  the  grades,  would  tend  definitely  to  increase  the 
efficiency  of  both  the  kindergartens  and  the  elementary  schools. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

THE   COMMON  BRANCHES. 

History. 

The  requirements  of  the  curriculum  in  History  are  as  follows : 

Grades  IV-V:  (1)  Reading  ''Ten  Boys  who  Lived  on  the 
Road  from  Long  Ago  to  Now,"  or  similar  book;  (2)  reading  stories 
from  American  history;  (3)  reading  lives  of  persons  famous  in 
American  history. 

Grade  VI :  The  reading  of  an  elementary  history  of  the 
United  States. 

Grade  VII:  The  study  of  American  history  to  end  of  the 
Revolution,  with  incidental  attention  to  such  parts  of  European 
history  as  are  connected  with  American  history. 

Grade  VIII:  The  study  of  United  States  history  completed; 
incidental  attention  to  European  history  as  directed  in  Grade 
VII ;  the  civil  government  of  the  United  States,  of  Massachusetts 
and- of  Brookhne. 

Grade  IX:  The  history  of  England. 

Along  with  these  requirements  are  some  helpful  suggestions 
to  the  teachers,  which  include  the  following:  In  Grades  IV-V, 
oral  and  written  reproductions  of  most  interesting  portions  read; 
in  Grade  VI,  no  lessons  in  History  to  be  assigned,  but  reproduc- 
tions to  be  called  for  as  in  Grades  IV  and  V;  in  Grade  VII, 
teachers  are  cautioned  against  giving  too  much  time  to  the  period 
of  discoveries  and  explorations;  in  studying  the  colonial  period, 
special  attention  should  be  given  to  the  history  of  Massachu- 
setts, New  York,  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia;  lessons  should  be 
assigned,  learned  and  recited  in  accordance  with  a  topical  outline 
prepared  by  the  teacher. 

All  these  suggestions  are  worth  while  because  they  help  the 
teacher  to  make  an  intelligent  use  of  the  Course  of  Study,  not  only 
in  the  material  she  selects  and  emphasizes,  but  in  her  method  of 

268 


The  Common  Branches  269 

handling  such  material.  These  suggestions,  few  as  they  are, 
must  result  in  better  teaching  than  would  be  likely  if  they  were 
not  made.  But  there  are  not  enough  of  them.  Even  if  all  the 
teachers  of  History  were  experts  in  that  field  of  study,  they  should 
understand,  with  more  definiteness,  the  material  which  they  are 
to  emphasize  and  something  of  the  spirit  and  method  which  they 
are  to  apply  to  its  use  and  interpretation.  But  of  course  only  a 
small  percentage  of  the  teachers  in  the  elementary  schools  of 
BrookHne  or  anywhere  else  are  special  students  of  history  or  have 
even  an  extended  knowledge  of  the  subject. 

It  is,  therefore,  of  the  first  importance  that  at  least  minimum 
requirements  of  a  definite  nature  should  be  made  in  all  the  grades 
where  History  is  taught.  The  teacher  has  a  right  to  know,  in 
the  interests  of  the  better  teaching  of  her  pupils,  what  ''stories 
from  American  history"  are  worth  teaching,  what  "lives  of 
persons  famous  in  American  history"  should  be  chosen,  and  what 
events  should  be  selected  to  typify  the  great  man's  fife  and  work. 
In  these  grades,  IV  and  V,  it  is  quality  rather  than  quantity  that 
must  prove  effective.  What  does  the  special  story  teach  about 
life  that  we  wish  the  pupil  to  learn  in  the  interpretation  of  his 
own  as  it  is  related  to  other  human  lives?  What  special  achieve- 
ment characterized  the  fife  and  work  of  the  chosen  leader,  hero,  or 
patriot?  And  the  selection  of  material,  of  course,  is  of  the  first 
importance  in  Grades  VI  to  IX  also.  In  all  these  grades  repre- 
sentative men  and  typical  events  should  receive  emphasis  and, 
to  insure  this,  definite  recommendations  and  suggestions  should 
be  made  so  that  the  teachers  may  know  what  is  expected  of  them. 

Such  a  Course  of  Study  is  planned  in  BrookHne  for  Geography 
and  Arithmetic,  and  it  is  just  as  much  needed,  and  for  the  same 
reasons,  in  History.  Nor  does  it  hamper  the  teacher's  individuality 
and  freedom  in  the  one  case  any  more  than  in  the  others. 

As  was  to  be  expected  with  such  an  indefinite  Course  of  Study, 
the  Survey  Staff  found  some  of  the  teachers  putting  undue  empha- 
sis upon  insignificant  topics.  They  were  wasting  time  upon  facts 
and  events  having  little  educational  value.  In  some  classes  there 
was  not  enough  made  of  the  ethical  ampHfications  of  the  facts 
studied.     The  teachers,  in  such  cases,  did  not  seem  to  realize  that 


270  School  Survey  of  Brookijne 

they  were  interpreters,  for  their  pupils,  of  the  lives  of  men  who 
now  hve  only  in  what  they  said  and  did  —  that  through  the  study 
and  knowledge  of  such  men  the  pupil  is  to  come  to  understand  his 
own  hfe  as  it  is  related  to  the  hves  of  other  human  beings. 

But  much  of  the  teaching  observed  was  of  a  high  order  of 
excellence,  so  far  as  the  handling  of  the  material  goes.  Many  of 
the  teachers  —  and  this  was  especially  noteworthy  in  the  work 
in  English  history  in  the  ninth  grade  —  had  the  material  well  in 
hand,  laid  emphasis  upon  what  was  worth  while.  They  also  in- 
sisted upon  clear  and  definite  knowledge  on  the  part  of  their 
pupils.  The  pupils  had  been  required  to  make  careful  prepara- 
tion of  the  lesson  and  they  recited  with  considerable  freedom  and 
in  unusually  good  English.  In  fact,  they  evidently  knew  that 
none  but  good  language  would  be  accepted.  Moreover,  almost 
invariably  in  discussing  events  having  a  geographical  significance 
the  wall  map  was  used.  This  feature  of  the  work  is  to  be  highly 
commended. 

There  was  often  a  special  effort  to  make  the  pupils  think  by 
encouraging  them  to  criticize  and  question  each  other.  This,  in 
some  cases,  was  well  done,  but  in  others  the  questions  and  answers 
moved  slowly,  and  much  time  was  consumed  upon  rather  un- 
important and  sometimes  trivial  things.  Still,  the  method,  skil- 
fully used,  is  of  value,  because  it  helps  to  prevent  the  recitation 
from  falling  into  a  dull  routine.  Of  this,  we  are  glad  to  say,  but  a 
little  was  seen  in  any  school.  A  large  proportion  of  the  recita- 
tions were  characterized  by  spontaneity  on  the  part  of  both 
teacher  and  pupils,  and  in  almost  every  case  there  was  a  fine 
responsive  spirit  in  the  schoolroom.  The  children  were  evidently 
contented  and  happy. 

The  History  teaching  which  was  observed  in  the  high  school 
was  good,  some  of  it  remarkably  good.  It  was  evident  that  the 
teachers  had  set  a  high  standard  of  effective  work  and  that  the 
larger  part  of  the  students  were  trying  to  reach  this  standard. 
The  pupils  were  not  weighed  down  with  excessive  note-taking, 
but  were  taking  notes  in  an  intelligent  and  purposeful  way.  As 
an  example  of  this,  a  pupil  would  recite  on  some  special  topic  which 
had  been  assigned  to  him  and  for  which  he  alone  was  held  respon- 


The  Common  Branches  271 

sible.  During  the  recitation  period  he  stood,  unaided,  before  the 
class  and  told,  in  his  own  way,  the  results  of  his  investigation  and 
the  books  from  which  he  had  obtained  his  facts.  While  he  was 
talking  the  rest  of  the  class  took  notes  and,  when  he  had  finished, 
his  classmates  closely  questioned  him  on  points  made  in  his  report. 
Such  questions  naturally  led  to  more  or  less  debating,  in  which 
many  boys  and  girls  gave  evidence  of  clear  thinking  and  intelligent 
interest.  The  notes  which  the  pupils  took  were  to  be  handed  in 
later.  The  subject  matter  assigned  to  the.  entire  class  for  the 
recitation  was  discussed  in  an  informal  but  thorough  and  vital 
way.  This  work  was  far  removed  from  formal,  cut-and-dried 
routine.  It  was  stimulating,  and  it  involved  as  good  thinking  as 
work  in  science  or  mathematics  demands. 

What  has  just  been  said  as  to  method,  in  both  the  elementary 
grades  and  the  high  school,  indicates  that,  on  the  whole,  the  teach- 
ing that  came  under  observation  was  unusually  good,  so  far  as 
the  handling  of  the  material  selected  was  concerned. 

The  chief  need  to  be  pointed  out  is  a  more  detailed  and 
definite  Course  of  Study.  This  might  to  advantage  be  worked  out 
in  conferences  by  the  teachers  themselves.  Meanwhile  the 
course  outlined  by  the  Committee  of  Eight  of  the  American  His- 
torical Association  might  be  supplied  at  small  expense. 

Report    on    the    Results    op    Standard    Tests    in   the 
Grammar  Schools  of  BROOKLINE. 
Purpose  of  the  Report. 

The  purpose  of  this  report  is  to  present  and  interpret  the 
results  obtained  from  a  series  of  standard  tests  which  were  given 
in  the  several  grammar  schools  of  the  town.  The  report  will 
concern  itself  for  the  most  part  with  a  comparison  of  these  results 
with  those  obtained  in  other  schools  and  school  systems.  This, 
however,  is  by  no  means  the  only  use  to  which  the  results  may 
be  put,  and  other  facts  of  interest  which  they  have  shown  will 
be  presented  from  time  to  time. 

Limited  Scope  of  the  Report. 

A  word  of  caution  is  perhaps  necessary  to  the  reader.  We 
have  not  come  in  our  work  with  the  standard  tests  to  the  point 


272  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

where  we  can  say  definitely  what  we  should  expect  the  average 
child  in  any  grade  to  do  with  them.  Results  obtained  in  some 
places  have  been  unquestionably  too  low,  showing  an  inadequate 
training  in  some  of  the  subjects.  But  in  other  schools  it  has 
seemed  likely  that  the  results  obtained  were  too  high,  indicating 
an  over-emphasis  on  the  formal  side  of  school  work.  In  other 
words,  while  we  have  succeeded  in  some  measure  in  standardizing 
the  tests,  we  have  not  yet  standardized  accomplishment  in  them, 
and  we  are  still  g^athering  data  for  this  purpose.  To  this  end 
the  Brookline  results  will  be  contributory. 

There  is  another  limitation  to  the  scope  of  this  report.  It 
can  only  determine  and  present  the  attainments  of  the  pupils 
who  are  actually  present  in  the  schools.  It  may  be  that  some 
of  the  classes  are  recruited  from  a  school  population  which  is 
inferior,  in  which  case  it  would  be  unfair  to  hold  a  school  entirely 
responsible  for  the  work  of  the  pupils.  It  is  also  possible  that 
there  may  be  by  chance  in  some  of  the  grades  a  relatively  superior 
or  a  relatively  inferior  group.  These  facts  could  be  determined 
by  supplementary  mental  testing,  but  such  investigations  are 
beyond  the  scope  of  the  present  report.  It  may  be  said  that 
with  the  large  number  of  pupils  in  the  Brookline  schools  it  is  not 
probable  that  any  of  the  above  possibilities  have  a  serious  effect 
on  the  results. 

Giving  of  the  Tests. 

All  the  testing  was  done  between  the  fourth  and  the  thirteenth 
of  December,  1916.  The  schools  had  opened  later  than  usual, 
and  had  been  in  session  only  about  a  month  when  the  tests  were 
given,  so  that  the  attainments  of  the  pupils  were  probably  ap- 
proximately what  they  had  been  at  the  close  of  the  previous 
year.*  Because  of  this  each  grade  was  set  back  a  year;  that  is, 
the  results  of  the  ninth  grade  were  considered  as  of  the  eighth 
grade,  and  so  on. 

*A  previous  study  by  the  same  investigators  brought  out  the  fact  that 
there  is  little  difference  in  the  attainments  of  pupils  as  a  group  at  the  end  of 
one  year  and  the  attainments  of  the  same  pupils  as  a  group  at  the  beginning 
of  the  next  fall  term.  This  was  not  only  found  to  be  the  case  in  the  class 
averages,  but  there  was  also  a  high  correlation  beween  the  attainments  of 
the  individual  pupils  in  the  two  sets  of  tests. 


The  Common  Branches  273 

Most  of  the  tests  were  given  by  two  investigators  well  trained 
in  the  work.  The  only  exception  to  this  rule  was  that  the  teachers 
gave  the  Spelhng,  each  in  her  own  grade.  In  general,  the  use 
of  a  small  number  of  testers  is  a  thing  to  be  desired,  as  it  makes 
for  greater  uniformity. 

The  testing  was  so  arranged  as  to  guard  against  all  possible 
effects  of  fatigue.  No  grade  was  given  all  of  its  tests  on  the 
same  day,  and  in  nearly  every  case  at  least  an  hour  was  allowed 
to  elapse  between  two  testing  periods.  The  two  Arithmetic 
tests  were  given  on  different  days. 

Because  such  studies  as  these  must  necessarily  upset  the 
even  tenor  of  the  school,  it  is  true  in  some  cases  that  the  pupils 
cannot  do  themselves  justice  in  the  tests.  Every  effort  was 
made  to  guard  against  this  in  the  Brookhne  schools,  and  it  is 
beheved  that  the  attitude  of  the  pupils  toward  the  tests  was 
not  much  different  from  their  attitude  toward  tests  given  by 
their  own  teachers.  The  hearty  co-operation  of  the  teachers 
helped  greatly  in  this  respect. 

Tests  Used. 

The  tests  given  in  this  Survey  were  only  such  as  have  become 
recognized  standards;  that  is,  they  were  such  tests  as  have 
been  worked  out  in  some  detail,  and  such  as  have  been  used  in 
previous  investigations  of  a  like  nature.  This  latter  criterion 
is  especially  desirable  in  order  that  there  may  be  figures  for 
comparison. 

A  list  of  the  tests  is  given  below.  They  will  be  described 
in  detail  later  in  the  report. 

Tests  Used  in  the  Brookline  Survey. 

1.  Arithmetic   Tests: 

(a)  Courtis  tests  in  the  four  fundamental  operations. 
(6)  Stone  reasoning  test. 

2.  Spelhng  Tests: 

(a)  Words  from'  Ayers'  lists. 

(b)  Words  from  Boston  lists. 


274  School  Survey  of  Brookhne 

3.  Penmanship  Tests: 

(a)  Holmes  test  for  speed  of  handwriting. 
(6)  Hohnes  test  for  quahty  of  handwriting. 

4.  Reading  Tests: 

(a)  Holmes  test  for  speed  of  silent  reading. 
(6)  Holmes  test  for  quality  of  reproduction. 

5.  Composition  Test: 

Compositions  rated  on  the  Harvard-New^ton  scale. 

Correction  of  Payers. 

The  correction  of  the  Arithmetic,  Spelling,  and  the  speed 
of  silent  Reading  was  done  by  the  teachers,  each  of  whom  cor- 
rected the  papers  from  her  own  room.  The  Reproduction,  Pen- 
manship, and  Composition  tests  are  of  such  nature  that  they 
can  be  more  efficiently  and  economically  corrected  by  those  who 
have  had  considerable  training  in  the  work.  This  method  was 
therefore,  adopted. 

Presentation  of  Results. 

The  results  of  this  study  are  presented  in  two  different  waj^s. 
In  the  body  of  the  report  there  are  tables  showing  the  Brookline 
results,  together  with  those  obtained  in  other  school  systems. 
These  results,  with  the  exception  of  those  from  the  Spelling  tests, 
are  expressed  in  terms  of  the  median*  rather  than  in  terms  of 
the  average  scores.  This  is  partly  because  the  median  is  much 
more  easily  found  than  the  average,  and  partly  because  the 
results  with  which  it  is  desired  to  compare  those  of  Brookline 
are  also  given  in  terms  of  medians. 

In  the  appendix  there  is  a  much  more  detailed  presentation 
of  the  results,  which  includes  the  average  or  median  scores  of  the 
separate  schools  and  rooms,  together  with  their  variations.  A 
wealth  of  material  was  secured  in  the  testing,  and  it  seemed  to 

*The  median  is  simply  the  middle  score  when  all  are  arranged  in  order 
of  their  magnitude.  If  the  series  contains  an  even  number  of  items  the  median 
is  the.  same  score  as  it  would  be  if  one  more  item  were  added  to  the  upper  end 
of  the  series.  Thus,  of  the  series  4,  5,  7,  9,  10,  1 1  and  15,  the  median  is  9. 
Of  the  series  10,  11,  12,  15,  18  and  21,  the  median  is  15. 


The  Common  Branches  275 

be  advisable  to  present  it  in  this  manner  for  the  further  study 
of  any  who  might  be  interested. 

Number  of  Pupils  Tested. 

The  number  of  pupils  tested  must  be  considered,  because 
the  reliability  of  any  average  or  median  is  dependent  in  part 
upon  the  number  of  items  which  enter  into  it.     That  is,  an  average , 
based  on  100  items  is  more  reUable  than  one  based  on  50  items. 
The  technical  reason  for  this  need  not  be  considered  here. 

In  Brookline  the  grades  are  all  large  enough  so  that  the 
reliability  of  the  averages  and  medians  need  not  be  questioned 
on  account  of  the  numbers.  The  central  tendencies  of  the  com- 
bined grades  based  on  250  to  300  items  are  undoubtedly  reliable 
on  this  score. 

Ages  of  Pupils  Tested. 

Another  important  consideration  is  the  ages  of  the  pupils 
taking  the  tests.  For  absolutely  fair  comparison  the  median 
ages  of  the  pupils  of  any  systems  or  schools  compared  should  be 
the  same.  If  a  grade  is  composed  of  older  pupils  it  is  likely  to 
be  a  relatively  inferior  grade,  and,  conversely,  it  is  Hkely  to  be 
relatively  superior  if  it  is  composed  of  younger  pupils. 

The  Brookline  schools  as  a  whole  seem  to  be  composed  of 
pupils  of  the  same  ages,  as  are  the  schools  with  which  they  are 
compared,  as  far  as  it  is  possible  to  obtain  data  in  regard  to  the 
latter.  There  are  two  notable  exceptions,  however,  for  the 
pupils  of  the  Heath  and  Lincoln  Schools  are,  from  the  fifth  grade 
on,  a  year  older  than  the  pupils  of  the  other  schools.  There  is 
also  one  ninth  grade  in  the  Devotion  School  in  which  the  pupils 
are  a  year  younger  than  the  rest.  These  facts  should  be  taken 
into  consideration  when  inter-school  or  inter-room  comparisons 
are  made. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that  when  all  the  grades  are  com- 
bined the  age  medians  progress  regularly,  starting  at  10  years 
in  the  fourth  grade,  and  reaching  14  years  in  the  eighth.  On  this 
basis  it  may  be  assumed  that  the  age  of  entering  the  first  grade 
is  approximately  six  years. 


276  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

Results  in  Arithmetic  Tests. 
(a)  Courtis  Tests  in  the  Four  Fundamental  Operations. 

The  examples  used  in  this  test  were  the  same  as  those  used 
in  the  Des  Moines,  la.,  survey,  which  are  no  different  in  prin- 
ciple from  the  standard  Courtis  Tests,  Series  B. 

The  test  is  carried  out  by  giving  each  child  a  folder  which 
contains  24  examples  for  each  operation:  addition,  subtraction, 
multiplication,  and  division.  There  is  a  definite  time  allotment 
for  each  set.  At  a  signal  by  the  tester  all  the  children  begin  to 
work  simultaneously  on  the  first  set,  and  they  continue  until 
time  is  called.  Then  the  same  method  of  procedure  is  used  for 
each  of  the  other  sets  in  turn. 

In  correcting  the  papers,  the  number  of  examples  done  by 
each  child  is  counted,  and  also  the  number  that  each  has  done 
correctly.  From  these  figures  it  is  possible  to  get  both  the  speed 
and  the  per  cent  of  accuracy  of  the  arithmetical  work. 

The  following  tables  show  the  Brookhne  results  in  comparison 
with  the  latest  standards  published  by  Mr.  Courtis.  These 
standards  were  obtained  by  giving  the  tests  to  several  thousands 
of  pupils  in  many  different  schools  and  school  systems  all  over 
the  country. 

TABLE  NO.  1. 

Speed  of  Addition  in  Courtis  Tests. 

Grade  IV  V  VI  VII 

Brookline  schools  (examples  done) ....  8  8 

Courtis  Standards  (examples  done) .  .   6  8  10  11 

As  the  table  shows,  the  Brookline  median  equals  the  standard 
in  the  fifth  grade,  but  no  advance  is  made  in  the  sixth  grade,  and 
so  this  median  falls  a  grade  behind  the  standard. 

The  same  condition  is  found  in  the  different  schools,  and  the 
Heath  School  is  the  only  one  to  equal  or  surpass  the  standards  in 
both  grades.  In  the  Lawrence  School  the  situation  is  peculiar, 
for  the  fifth-grade  mediscn  equals  the  sixth-grade  standard,  while 
the  sixth-grade  median  is  only  equal  to  the  fifth-grade  standard. 

There  is  a  fairly  wide  divergence  between  the  attainments  in 
the  different  schools,  for  the  medians  in  each  grade  range  from 


V 

VI 

VII 

62% 

67% 

70 

73 

75% 

The  Common  Branches  277 

seven  to  10.  There  is  also  some  divergence  in  many  cases  where 
there  are  two  sections  of  one  grade  in  the  same  school.  This  latter 
may  be  due  to  the  fact  that  the  pupils  are  put  in  sections  according 
to  their  abilities. 

A  study  of  the  distributions  of  the  individual  scores  and  of 
the  variations  of  the  medians  shows  that,  for  the  most  part,  the 
pupils  are  not  grouped  very  closely  in  their  abiUties  to  do  this  test. 

TABLE  NO.  2. 

Accuracy  of  Addition  in  Courtis  Tests. 

Grade  IV 

Brookline  schools 

Courtis  standards 64% 

The  Brookline  schools  fall  more  than  a  grade  behind  in 
accuracy  of  addition. 

The  same  condition  is  found  among  the  different  schools, 
although  Lawrence  and  Driscoll  slightly  exceed  the  standard. 

Again,  there  is  a  rather  wide  range  of  variation  between  the 
schools,  as  the  medians  range  from  50  per  cent  to  71  per  cent. 
The  low  figures  mean  that  some  schools  and  sections  fall  at  least 
two  grades  behind. 

TABLE  NO.  3. 

Speed  of  Subtraction  in  Courtis  Tests. 

Grade  IV  V  VI  VII 

Brookline  schools  (examples  done) 8  9 

Courtis  standards  (examples  done) .  .    7  9  11  12 

In  this  test  the'BrookUne  schools  fall  half  a  grade  behind  in 
the  fifth  grade  and  a  whole  grade  behind  in  the  sixth. 

In  the  fifth  grade  the  Heath  School  is  the  only  one  which 
equals  the  standard,  while  all  the  other  schools  fall  at  least  half  a 
grade  behind.  In  the  sixth  grade  no  school  equals  the  standard 
median. 

The  variation  between  the  different  schools  is  not  quite  so 
large  in  this  test,  although  it  still  amounts  to  as  much  as  two 
examples. 


V 

VI 

75% 
83 

80% 
85 

278         School  Survey  of  Brookline 

TABLE  NO.  4. 

Accuracy  of  Subtraction  in  Courtis  Tests. 

Grade     IV  V  VI  VII 

Brookline  schools 

Courtis  standards 80% 

As  to  accuracy  of  subtraction,  Brookline  falls  about  two 
grades  below  the  standards  in  both  grades.     . 

The  Runkle  and  Devotion  Schools  exceed  the  standards,  but 
all  other  schools  fall  below  them.  This  means  that  there  is  again 
considerable  variation  in  the  attainments  of  the  pupils  of  the 
various  schools. 

It  is  rather  an  interesting  fact  that  three  of  the  schools,  Heath, 
Lincoln  and  Runkle,  show  sUghtly  greater  accuracy  in  the  fifth 
grade  than  in  the  sixth. 

TABLE  NO.  5. 

Speed  op  Multiplication  in  the  Courtis  Tests. 

Grade  IV  V  VI  VII 

Brookline  schools  (examples  done) ...  6  6  7 

Courtis  standards 6  8  9  10 

Here  again  we  find  that  Brookline  is  from  a  grade  to  a  grade 
and  a  half  behind  the  standards. 

Among  the  various  schools  there  is  only  one  section  that 
equals  the  standards. 

Variation  among  the  schools  is  less  in  this  test,  especially  in 
the  sixth  grade,  where  the  school  medians  differ  by  not  more  than 
one  example  done.  This  same  fact  holds  true  for  the  sections  of 
the  grades  within  the  school  in  all  cases  except  the  Devotion  fifth 
grade,  where  the  difference  is  two  examples. 

TABLE  NO.  6. 
Accuracy  of  Multiplication  in  Courtis  Tests. 

Grade    IV  V  VI  VII 

Brookline  schools 67%  75% 

Courtis  standards 67%  75  78  80% 


The  Common  Branches  279 

The  table  shows  that  Brookline  schools  are  exactly  a  year 
behind  the  standards  in  both  grades.  It  should  be  noted,  how- 
ever, that  the  fifth  and  sixth-grade  standards  are  very  close. 

Among  the  different  schools  we  find  some  which  equal  or 
surpass  the  standards.     This  is  notably  true  in  the  Runkle  School. 

There  is  again  wide  divergence  of  attainment  both  between 
different  schools  and  between  different  sections  within  the  schools. 

In  three  of  the  schools.  Heath,  Lincoln  and  Runkle,  the  fifth- 
grade  median  equals  or  surpasses  the  sixth. 

TABLE  NO.  7. 

Speed  of  ^Division  in  Courtis  Tests. 

Grade  IV  V  VI  VII 

Brookline  schools  (examples  done) .. .    .  (5  8  ... 

Courtis  standards  (examples  done) .  .   4  6  8  10 

In  speed  of  division  the  Brookline  schools  are  exactly  equal 
to  the  standard  scores.  Only  three  of  the  20  different  grades  and 
sections  fall  below  the  standards,  while  eight  grades  and  sections 
exceed  them. 

Variations  in  the  medians  amount  to  only  one  example  in 
the  sixth  grade,  but  in  the  fifth  grade  a  variation  of  two  examples 
is  common. 

TABLE  NO.  7. 

Accuracy  of  Division  in  Courtis  Tests. 

Grade    IV  V  VI  VII 

Brookline  schools 80%  88%  

Courtis  standards 57%  77  87  90% 

As  the  table  indicates,  Brookline  schools  are  slightly  above 
those  from  which  the  standards  were  obtained. 

Among  the  various  schools  only  the  Pierce  fifth  grade  is 
decidedly  behind  the  standard.  On  the  other  hand,  the  Runkle 
School  makes  a  remarkable  record  with  a  median  of  100  per  cent 
in  both  grades.  This  means  that  half  of  the  pupils  made  perfect 
scores.  The  Lawrence  sixth-grade  median  is  also  a  grade  ahead 
in  this  test. 


280  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

Because  of  the  high  Runkle  scores,  the  extreme  variations 
between  the  schools  are  high,  with  a  range  of  from  67  per  cent  to 
100  per  cent. 

Summary. 

Taken  as  a  whole,  the  Brookline  schools  fail  to  reach  the 
Courtis  standards  in  either  speed  or  accuracy  of  addition,  sub- 
traction and  multiplication,  while  they  exceed  the  standards 
slightly  or  equal  them  in  division. 

Among  the  various  schools  there  is  considerable  variation  in 
both  speed  and  accuracy  of  work,  and  a  hke  variation  exists  be- 
tween sections  of  the  same  grades  in  the  same  schools.  As  has 
already  been  pointed  out,  this  latter  variation  may  be  due  to  the 
fact  that  in  some  of  the  schools  the  sections  are  made  up  by  sepa- 
rating the  pupils  according  to  their  abilities. 

There  seems  to  be  some  slight  relation  between  the  speed  and 
accuracy  of  the  work.  That  is,  the  schools  in  which  the  pupils 
do,  on  the  average,  a  larger  number  of  examples  seem  to  be  those 
in  which  the  percentage  of  accuracy  is  greater.  The  exact  relation 
could  be  determined  by  a  correlation  study. 

(6)  Stone  Reasoning  Test. 

This  test  consists  of  a  set  of  twelve  problems  of  graduated 
difficulty.  The  pupils  are  given  a  folder  containing  these  prob- 
lems, and  exactly  fifteen  minutes  is  allowed  them  in  which  they 
work  as  many  of  the  problems  as  they  can. 

In  correcting  the  papers  the  pupils  are  credited  with  a  certain 
problem  value  for  each  right  answer.  These  problem  values  have 
been  determined  and  assigned  by  Dr.  Stone,  and  they  vary  from 
1.0  to  2.0  according  to  the  diflaculty  of  the  problem.  A  pupil's 
score  is  found  by  adding  all  the  credits  he  has  received. 

The  following  table  shows  the  median  scores  of  the  Brookline 
schools  in  comparison  with  scores  obtained  in  a  number  of  systems: 


The  Common  Branches  281 

TABLE  NO.  8. 
Stone  Reasoning  Test. 

Grade  V  VI  VII 

Brookline  schools 4.0  b.2 

Starch  standards 7.8  9.4  11.0 

Butte,  Mont 2.2  3.9  5.8 

Laporte,  Ind 3.4  4.6  8.1 

Salt  Lake  City 3.7  6.4  8.6 

Boston,  1916 4.0  6.4 

The  table  shows  that  the  record  of  the  Brookline  schools  is 
appreciably  better  than  most  of  the  standards.  In  some  cases 
the  Brookline  medians  are  more  than  a  grade  ahead.  The  Starch 
standards  are  the  only  ones  that  are  above  the  Brookline  median. 

As  in  the  Courtis  tests,  there  is  considerable  variation  in  the 
results  from  the  different  schools,  and  in  the  results  from  the 
different  sections  in  the  same  school. 

Another  problem  in  variation  arises  here.  The  median  varia- 
tions in  some  of  the  schools  and  sections  are  so  great  as  to  affect 
rather  seriously  the  reUabihty  of  the  medians.  Just  how  great 
this  effect  is  it  is  impossible  to  say.  It  may  be  noted,  however, 
that  the  higher  scores  are,  for  the  most  part,  more  reliable  than  the 
lower  ones. 

The  Devotion  and  Runkle  Schools  have  the  highest  scores, 
and  the  Lawrence  School  ranks  close  behind  the  latter. 

Spelling  Tests. 

The  SpeUing  tests  consisted  of  20  words  from  the  Ayers 
spelling  scale  and  10  words  from  the  Boston  spelling  lists. 
These  words  were  pronounced  both  singly  and  in  sentences  by 
each  teacher  in  her  own  room. 

An  extra  grade  was  taken  in  these  tests,  so  that  scores  are 
presented  from  the  fourth  grade  as  well  as  the  later  grades. 

Comparisons  are  made  in  terms  of  per  cents  this  time,  as  it 
is  on  this  basis  that  the  standards  are  expressed. 


282         School  Survey  of  Brookline 

TABLE  NO.  9. 

A.  Words  from  the  Ayers  Scale. 

Grade  IV  V  VI  VII  VIII 

Brookline 84%  87%  89%  90%  86% 

Ayers  standard 79  79  79  79  79 

Missouri  Tr.  schools 64  78  74  73  77 

B.  Words  from  the  Boston  Lists. 

Brookline 61%  69%  84%  66%  80% 

Missouri  Tr.  schools 42  58  55  45  57 

In  Spelling,  the  Brookline  schools  are  decidedly  above  the 
standards.  This  is  not  only  true  of  the  schools  as  a  whole,  but 
in  the  different  schools  and  sections  as  well,  for  only  two  or  three 
sections  out  of  50  fail  to  surpass  the  Ayers  standards. 

The  work  with  the  Boston  words  is  not  so  good,  but  this  was 
to  be  expected  because  the  words  are  harder  and  not  so  familiar 
to  the  pupils.  The  Boston  scores  with  these  words  run  from  86 
to  95  per  cent,  but  this  is  only  after  the  words  have  been  studied 
for  one  or  two  lessons.  Considering  this  fact,  the  Brookline  record 
is  very  satisfactory. 

There  is  not  so  much  variation  in  the  Spelling  as  in  the  Arith- 
metic test?,  as  none  of  the  schools,  with  the  possible  exception  of 
the  Devotion,  made  a  record  that  was  uniformly  better  than  the 
rest. 

Penmanship  Tests. 

The  Holmes  test  for  speed  and  quality  of  writing  was  used 
in  this  investigation.  In  this  test  a  short  sentence  involving  all 
the  usual  letter  combinations,  but  made  up  of  familiar  words,  is 
written  repeatedly  for  a  one-minute  and  a  four-minute  period. 
The  sentence  is  practically  learned  by  each  child  before  the  writ- 
ing begins,  so  that  little  time  is  lost  because  of  forgotten  copy. 

The  pupil's  speed  of  writing  is  obtained  by  finding  the  average 
number  of  letters  per  minute  he  writes  in  the  two  periods. 


The  Common  Branches  *  283 

TABLE  NO.  10. 

Speed  of  Writing. 

Grade    V  VI  VII  VIII 

Brookline  schools 76  87  90  98 

Newton,  Mass. '.  . .73  85  94  102 

Missouri  Tr.  schools 80  92  92  102 

These  scores  are  in  letters  per  minute. 

In  this  test  the  Brookline  medians  are  very  close  to  those 
which  have  been  chosen  for  comparison.  It  may  be  that  there  is 
a  tendency  to  fall  behind  in  the  two  uppar  grades  but,  if  so,  it  is 
very  sHght. 

As  in  most  of  the  other  tests,  there  is  considerable  variation 
in  the  medians  of  the  various  schools.  These  range  from  12  letters 
per  minute  in  the  fifth  grade  to  29  letters  per  minute  in  the  eighth. 

The  quality  of  writing  was  determined  by  rating  three  samples 
of  each  pupil's  writing  by  means  of  the  Ayers  handwriting  scale. 
These  samples  were,  first,  the  writing  that  the  pupils  had  done  in 
.the  four-minute  speed  test;  second,  the  copy  of  a  short  story  written 
by  the  pupils  from  dictation;  and  third,  the  '' reproduction '' 
paper  from  the  reading  test.  In  the  latter  case  the  pupils  were 
not  told  that  the  paper  was  to  be  graded  for  penmanship. 

In  correcting  the  papers,  each  was  rated  independently  by 
two  examiners,  and  the  two  ratings  were  averaged  for  the  score  of 
the  paper.  For  the  final  quality  mark  the  average  of  the  scores  of 
the  three  different  papers  was  calculated. 

TABLE  NO.  11. 

Quality  of  Writing. 

Grade    V  VI  VII  VIII 

Brookline  schools 44  46  47  49 

Newton,  Mass 48  51  50  53 

Missouri  Tr.  schools 41  42  45  47 

Cleveland,  O.* • 45  48  50  55 

Starch  standards* 43  47  53  57 

South  Bend  standards* 50  50  60  60 

*The  test  given  this  test  was  not  the  Holmes  test,  but  the  rating  was 
done  on  the  Ayers  scale.  The  scores  in  the  table  express  quality  of  writing 
in  terms  of  the  Ayers  scale. 


284  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

In  quality  of  writing  Brookline  does  not  fare  so  well  as  in 
speed,  as  the  table  shows  that  the  medians  are  below  the  standards 
in  most  cases.  In  the  two  upper  grades  the  Brookhne  scores  fall 
at  least  a  grade  behind. 

It  is  a  rather  interesting  fact  that  the  differences  between  the 
scores  of  the  various  schools  are  in  many  instances  greater  than 
the  differences  between  the  medians  of  successive  grades.  This 
again  shows  wide  variations  between  the  schools. 

There  is,  in  spite  of  this  wide  variation,  no  one  school  in  which 
the  writing  seems  to  be  consistently  better  or  poorer  than  in  the 
others. 

In  the  work  of  correcting  the  papers  it  soon  became  very 
evident  that  the  quality  of  the  writing  varied  quite  decidedly  in 
the  different  tests.  To  show  this,  the  following  table  was  made 
out: 

TABLE  NO.  12. 

Quality  of  Writing  in  Different  Tests. 

Grade    V             VI            VII  VIII 

Speed  test 40              43              45  45 

Reproduction  test 43              45              45  48 

Dictation  test 48              50              50  53 

Average 44              46              47  49 

This  table  shows  that  the  quality  of  writing  in  the  dictation 
test  was  markedly  better  in  every  grade.  The  indication  seems 
to  be  that  the  pupils  do  not  write  as  well  when  their  attention  is 
not  particularly  fixed  on  the  quality  of  their  writing.  It  is  likely 
that  the  scores  on  the  reproduction  test  are  of  the  most  importance 
because  these  show  the  quality  of  the  pupils'  ordinary  writing. 

Holmes  Reading  Test. 

A  short  story  built  around  35  ideas  is  the  basis  of  the 
Holmes  test.  A  printed  shp  is  given  the  pupils,  and  they  are 
allowed  to  read  as  much  as  possible  in  a  limited  time.  From  this 
the  number  of  words  read  per  minute  by  each  pupil  is  computed. 

After  this  limited  period  the  pupils  are  allowed  to  finish  the 
story.     Then  the  printed  sHp  is  taken  away  from  them  and  they 


The  Common  Branches  285 

are  asked  to  write  the  story  in  their  own  words.     Their  papers  are 
graded  on  the  basis  of  the  number  of  ideas  reproduced. 

Finally,  a  series  of  questions  on  the  main  points  in  the  story 
is  given,  and  the  pupils  are  asked  to  write  the  answers.  These 
papers  are  graded  on  a  percentage  basis  according  to  values  as- 
signed to  the  various  questions. 

TABLE  NO.  13. 

Speed  of  Silent  Reading. 

Grade     V  VI  VII  VIII 

Brookline  schools 249  283  309  294 

Holmes  standards 249  276  309  309 

These  scores  are  in  words  per  minute. 

The    Holmes  standards  were  obtained  from  the  results  of  testing  two 
or  three  thousand  pupils  in  various  parts  of  the  country. 

In  this  test  the  Brookline  scores  are  very  near  the  standards. 
They  are  somewhat  above  in  the  sixth  grade,  and  a  little  below  in 
the  eighth.  These  differences,  however,  are  not  great  enough 
to  be  of  significance.  The  drop  in  the  eighth  grade  is  largely  due 
to  the  low  scores  in  one  school. 

The  variations  in  the  various  medians  are  very  great.  In 
every  grade  the  variations  are  greater  than  between  the  successive 
grades. 

In  some  of  the  grades  where  the  medians  are  high,  a  study  of 
the  distributions  shows  that  the  individual  scores  do  not  cluster 
closely  around  some  central  point,  but  are  very  widely  spread  out. 

TABLE  NO.  14. 
Quality  of  Repeoduction  of  Passage  Read. 

Grade     V  VI  VII  VIII 

Brookline  schools 57%  57%  57%  60% 

Holmes  standards 54  54  60  60 

In  the  fifth  and  sixth  grades  the  Brookline  scores  are  a  shade 
better  than  the  standards,  but  this  advantage  is  lost  in  the  seventh 


286  School  Survey  of  Brooklike 

and  eighth  grades.  The  differences  are  not  great  in  any  grade, 
however. 

Differences  between  schools  and  sections  are  again  large  and 
frequent. 

The  Pearson  coefficient  of  correlation  between  the  speed  of 
reading  and  the  quality  of  the  reproduction  of  the  passage  read  is, 
in  the  eighth  grade,  —.05.  This  means  that  there  is  practically 
no  relation  between  the  speed  of  reading  and  the  abihty  to  re- 
produce what  is  read.  Looking  at  it  in  another  light,  it  means 
that  a  high  or  a  low  score  in  one  test  is  no  criterion  by  which  to 
estimate  the  score  of  the  same  individual  in  the  other.  This  find- 
ing is  contrary  to  the  general  belief  concerning  this  matter . 

TABLE  NO.  15. 

Answers  to  Questions  on  Passage  Read. 

Grade     V  VI  VII  VIII 

Brookline  schools 62%  64%  68%  73% 

Holmes  standards 63  69  72  73 

The  scores  of  ^  the  schools  as  a  whole  are  shghtly  below  the 
standards. 

Variations  are  present  as  in  all  of  the  other  tests,  and  some  few 
of  these  run  as  high  as  15  per  cent. 

Composition  Test. 
In  carrying  out  this  test  the  pupils  were  simply  asked  to 
write  a  composition  on  any  one  of  three  assigned  topics.     These 
topics  were  such  that  the  pupil  had  a  wide  range  for  choice,  while 
the  product  was  kept  fairly  uniform. 

TABLE  NO.  16. 

Composition  Medians. 

Grade       VI  VII  VIII 

Brookline  schools 61  .  .  70 

Newton,  Mass 75  75 

Bloomington,  Ind . .  61  67 

Port  Townsend,  Wash 53  58 

Medians  are  expressed  in  terms  of  the  Harvard-Newton  composition 
scale. 


The  Common  Branches        ^  287 

In  comparison  with  the  standards,  the  BrookUne  scores  in 
this  test  are  good.  They  are  not  quite  up  to  the  Newton  scores 
upon  which  the  scale  is  based,  but  the  difference  is  not  great.  It 
is  noticeable  that  the  BrookUne  sixth-grade  score  is  a  grade  ahead 
of  some  of  the  others. 

There  is  as  little  uniformity  in  composition  writing  as  in  any 
of  the  other  subjects,  and  the  range  of  variation  is  especially 
large  in  the  sixth  grade. 

In  both  grades  scores  of  the  Heath  School  are  especially  high, 
while  those  of  the  Lincoln  are  consistently  low. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE   SPECIAL  BRANCHES. 

Drawing  and  Handwork  in  the  Primary  Grades. 

The  fact  that  in  the  Course  of  Studies  Drawing  and  Hand- 
work are  outUned  together  gives  recognition  of  the  close  relation 
existing  between  these  two  subjects.  In  the  first  four  grades, 
their  subject  matter  and  thought  content  have  much  in  common. 
When  the  children  make  illustrative  drawings  of  Indian  hfe, 
it  is  suggested  that  they  construct  an  Indian  camp.  In  general 
practice  much  instruction  in  Drawing  may  be  related  to  other 
subjects  than  Handwork,  and  Handwork  may  be  related  to 
Arithmetic,  Reading,  History,  Geography,  Nature  Study,  as 
well  as  to  Drawing.  But  on  the  other  hand,  certain  parts  of  Draw- 
ing and  Handwork  may  be  taught  to  advantage  without  relation 
to  other  subjects. 

Drawing,  as  outUned  in  the  Course  of  Study,  suggests  con- 
tacts with  a  rich  fund  of  educative  material.  The  work  as  ob- 
served in  the  schools  seems  to  be  well  balanced  as  a  means  of 
expression,  for  appreciation  of  fine  things  in  art,  and  for  such 
applications  as  children  can  make.  Greater  possibilities,  how- 
ever, might  be  realized  in  correlating  Drawing  with  other  subjects 
in  the  curriculum.  There  is  evidence  of  a  desire  on  the  part  of 
the  Drawing  teacher  to  establish  relations  between  Handwork, 
Nature  Study,  History  and  Reading,  but  there  is  a  lack  of  such 
supervision  as  would  be  necessary  for  more  complete  realization 
of  possibilities  in  this  direction.  There  seems  to  be  no  super- 
vision of  the  primary  Handwork.  Some  help  is  given  by  the 
Drawing  teacher,  but  as  she  is  directing  the  Drawing  of  nine 
grades,  she  can  do  little  for  the  Handwork.  As  the  Manual 
Training  teachers  have  full-time  schedules  in  teaching  Bench 
Work  to  the  upper  grades,  they  can  render  little  assistance  to 
the  primary  teachers.     Furthermore,  the  help  of  Bench  Work 

288 


The  Special  Beanches  289 

teachers  without  special  training  for  supervision  of  primary  hand- 
work, would  be  inefficient. 

Then,  too,  the  outline  provides  for  Handwork  in  a  very  narrow 
range  of  materials.  Paper  and  a  Hmited  amount  of  clay  or  plasti- 
cine are  practically  the  only  materials  suggested  for  Handwork 
in  the  first  three  grades.  In  the  fourth  grade,  cardboard  con- 
struction for  boys  and  needlework  for  girls  is  provided.  Un- 
questionably some  ideas  in  construction  can  be  taught  with  paper 
and  some  experiences  in  its  manipulations  have  value.  But, 
one  hour  a  week  for  three  years  devoted  so  largely  to  work  in 
paper  can  hardly  be  justified.  With  much  greater  profit  there 
could  be  taught  many  vital  educative  facts  concerning  the  life 
of  the  child,  such  as  the  clothes  he  wears,  the  house  in  which  he 
lives,  the  traffic  on  the  street,  and  the  food  he  eats.  These  educa- 
tive facts  suggest  a  great  variety  of  materials.  With  this  wider 
range  of  materials  and  thought  content,  greater  powers  for  crea- 
tion and  expression  would  be  developed,  more  significant  facts 
would  be  taught,  many  opportunities  for  relating  school  work  to 
actual  things  in  the  child's  life  would  occur,  and  greater  interest 
would  be  secured.  To  enable  the  primary  teachers  to  do  this 
work  successfully  supervision  would  be  necessary.  Observations 
in  the  schools  indicate  that  even  the  limited  possibilities  suggested 
in  the  outlines  are  not  generally  carried  out.  In  one  or  two  schools, 
however,  some  special  work  is  being  developed  experimentally. 

The  needs  for  supervision  for  both  Drawing  and  Handwork 
in  the  primary  grades  might  be  met  by  the  appointment  of  one 
person  as  a  primary  Drawing  and  Handwork  assistant  who  would 
represent  both  departments  in  working  with  the  primary  teachers. 
The  school  manual  lists  46  classes  of  grades  one  to  four  inclusive, 
and  seven  other  primary  classes  that  do  not  receive  instruction 
from  a  Manual  Training  teacher,  making  a  total  of  53  classes  that 
could  be  adequately  assisted  by  a  properly  trained  supervisor. 

Drawing  in  the  Grammar  Grades. 
The   Drawing  in  the  grammar  grades,  as  in  the  primary 
grades,  shows  the  same  broad  aims  for  applying  the  instruction 
to  the  living  conditions  of  the  pupils,  giving  appreciation  of  fine 


290  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

things  in  art  and  for  increasing  ability  to  use  Drawing  as  a  means 
of  expression.  The  results  of  the  work  attempted  compare 
favorably  with  those  of  other  school  systems.  Frequent  instances 
were  found  where  the  Drawing  was  related  to  the  general  academic 
studies.  Pupils  who  continue  Drawing  in  the  high  school  give  evi- 
c'ence  of  previous  training  in  the  grades. 

Considerable  limitation  results,  however,  from  the  fact  that 
practically  all  of  the  Drawing  is  expressed  on  paper.  There  seems 
to  be  no  correlation  between  the  Drawing  on  the  one  hand,  and 
Manual  Training,  Sewing  and  Domestic  Science  on  the  other. 
If  problems  in  design  for  such  various  activities  as  household 
decoration,  printing,  metal  work,  wood  work,  and  cement  could 
be  worked  out  with  the  teacher  of  Drawing,  and  then  applied  in 
the  activities,  the  function  of  Drawing  would  be  considerably 
broadened.  At  present,  all  of  the  Drawing  in  primary  and  gram- 
mar grades  is  directed  by  one  teacher  without  the  help  of  assist- 
ants. Under  a  departmental  organization  the  upper  grade  Draw- 
ing could  be  taught  to  better  advantage  and  without  added  ex- 
pense by  a  special  teacher.  If  a  Junior  High  School  is  organized, 
a  properly  equipped  studio  and  special  teacher  will  be  available. 
The  need  for  a  supervisor  of  Drawing  in  the  primary  grades  should 
be  considered  in  connection  with  the  problem  of  directing  the 
grammar  school  Drawing. 

Domestic  Science  and  Domestic  Art    in  the  Grammar 

Schools. 
Domestic  Science  as  taught  in  the  grammar  schools  of  Brook- 
line  is  quite  typical  of  what  is  usually  done  in  this  line  of  work. 
It  is  taught  on  the  laboratory  basis.  In  some  of  the  schools  there 
is  an  attempt  to  adjust  the  course  to  the  needs  of  the  girls  by 
emphasizing  the  preparation  of  plain  foods,  and  by  giving  oc- 
casional experience  in  serving  a  simple  meal.  In  one  or  two 
places,  housekeeping  lessons  are  given  by  using  a  hmited  dining 
room  and  bedroom  equipment.  Within  the  limitations  of  the 
laboratory  type  of  instruction,  the  instances  cited  above  are 
commendable  as  an  attempt  to  meet  the  home  needs  of  the  girls 
so  far  as  conditions  permit. 


The  Special  Branches  291 

The  Sewing  is  of  the  type  that  is  common  in  most  city  school 
systems.  From  the  beginning  emphasis  is  put  on  neatness  and 
painstaking  care  in  the  processes.  There  is  a  tendency  to  make 
the  work  somewhat  formal.  As  with  the  Cooking,  there  is  an 
attempt  to  adjust  the  work  to  the  needs  of  the  different  groups  of 
girls. 

It  would  be  possible  to  develop  far  more  practical  work  in 
Domestic  Science  and  Domestic  Art  if  the  upper  grammar  school 
grades  were  brought  to  one  center.  A  model  suite  of  rooms 
would  be  available.  Lunch  requirements  would  offer  many 
opportunities  for  practical  cooking.  A  recognized  center  for  the 
production  of  girls'  work  would  be  developed  as,  for  example, 
simple  millinery  and  garment  making.  The  opportunities  given 
to  the  girls  at  the  present  vary  in  the  different  schools.  All 
girls  in  one  school  do  not  have  the  same  needs.  A  central  school 
or  Junior  High  School  would  make  it  possible  to  give  each  girl  the 
kind  of  work  and  the  amount  of  work  that  would  be  of  advantage 
to  her. 

Mantjal  Training  in  Grades  V  to  IX. 

A  study  of  the  Manual  Training  in  Brookline  presents  several 
varying  factors.  The  time  allotted  to  certain  grades  is  not  the 
same  in  each  school.  In  the  Lincoln  School  a  man  instructs  the 
boys  in  ^hop  work.  In  other  schools,  Manual  Training  instruc- 
tion is  given  by  women.  Each  teacher  has  a  different  Course 
of  Study.  An  equipment  of  wood-turning  lathes  is  provided  for 
the  eighth  and  ninth  grades  in  the  Lincoln  School.  The  lack 
of  uniformity  in  the  amount  of  time  devoted  to  Manual  Training 
in  the  different  schools  and  in  the  distribution  of  time  to  the 
various  grades  is  indicated  by  the  following  table. 

Grades  to  which  Manual  Training  is  Taught  and  the 
Allotment  of  Time  for  it  in  the  Six  Schools 

Runkle        Devotion        Lawrence 


Lincoln 

Pierce 

Heath 

V          1      hour 

%  hour 

VI        13^  hours 

\yi  hours 

13^  hours 

VII      13^  hours 

1%  hours 

1%  hours 

VIII     2      hours 

2      hours* 

1^  hours 

IX        2      hours 

l^/i  hours 

*Alternate  weeks. 

1  %  hours 

1^  hours*    1%  hours 

IM  hours* 

1  ^  hours*  1  %   hours 

1  %  hours* 

1  %  hours*  2       hours 

292  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

Practically  all  of  the  Manual  Training  taught  in  the  school 
shops  consists  of  wood  work  supplemented  by  a  small  amount  of 
work  in  thin  sheet  brass.  This  affords  very  little  variety.  The 
aim  of  the  instruction  seems  to  be  largely  disciphnary,  and  in 
most  cases  the  methods  are  formal.  Each  teacher  holds  to  a 
somewhat  rigid  course  of  models  or  exercises  such  as  plant  label, 
plant  stick,  coat  rack,  and  coat  hanger.  The  details  of  these 
models  are  fixed,  no  individual  variations  being  suggested.  The 
emphasis  of  the  instruction  seems  to  be  on  accuracy,  neatness 
and  precision  in  working  wood.  '  Strict  obedience  in  following 
detailed  directions  is  usually  insisted  upon.  Little  opportunity 
is  given  the  child  to  exercise  initiative  or  inventiveness.  Indi- 
vidual expression  seems  to  have  outlet  in  but  two  d'rections 
either  by  failure  to  meet  exacting  requirements,  or  in  a  few  in- 
stances where  the  child  may  be  allowed  to  select  the  design  that 
is  to  be  applied.  An  exception  to  the  above  statement  should 
be  made  in  the  case  of  work  observed  at  one  of  the  schools. 

The  Manual  Training  work  in  Brookhne  is  quite  typical  of 
shop  work  in  many  towns  and  cities.  Manual  Training  in  the 
schools  is  justified  for  its  practicality,  concreteness,  and  reality 
as  supplemental  to  abstract  book  learning.  It  is  unfortunate, 
therefore,  that  in  so  many  school  systems  the  shop  work  in  the 
school  in  no  way  represents  shop  work  outside  of  the  school. 
In  the  Brookline  schools,  as  in  many  other  places,  special  shop 
processes  and  products  of  a  distinctly  academic  type  have  been 
developed.  The  product  of  this  type  turned  out  in  the  Brookline 
Manual  Training  shops  appears  to  be  as  good  as  that  produced 
in  schools  elsewhere.  In  some  instances  the  work  by  classes  is 
considerably  better  than  average  work.  As  practical  shop  work, 
however,  there  is  little  in  it  that  can  interest  boys  in  mechanical 
work.  If  boys  are  to  be  interested  in  mechanical  processes  they 
must  be  brought  in  contact  with  them  on  a  realistic  basis.  To  be 
real  to  boys  the  processes  u^d  in  school  should  resemble  processes 
used  out  of  school.  Experiences  limited  to  wood,  however,  are 
not  likely  to  stimulate  interest  in  mechanical  processes  in  other 
materials.  The  educative  possibilities  of  a  single  material  are 
too  circumscribed  to  justify  the  spending  of  one  and  one-half 


The  Special  Bkanches  293 

to  two  hours  per  week  for  three  to  five  years  upon  it.  In  this 
part  of  New  England  wood  work  is  not  as  typical  as  metal  work, 
and  in  some  communities  the  leather  and  textile  industries  are 
far  more  typical.  Many  materials  and  processes  compare  quite 
favorably  with  wood  work  in  offering  educational  experiences. 
Then  too,  the  local  industrial  significance  of  materials  and  pro- 
cesses has  considerable  bearing  on  their  educational  value  in  school 
work.  To  be  educative  in  a  true  sense,  work  in  school  shops 
should  be  both  real  and  typical.  The  relation  between  what  is 
done  in  school  and  in  the  world  should  be  obvious  to  the  child. 
The  making  of  wood  projects  by  a  slow  painstaking  process,  which 
consumes  many  hours  of  time,  when  the  child  reahzes  that  these 
same  projects  may  be  purchased  in  the  five  and  ten-cent  store, 
cannot  give  an  impression  of  reality.  On  the  other  hand,  if  the 
typical  home  life  of  the  child  is  considered  in  connection  with 
the  book  type  of  education,  the  need  for  some  agency  to  overcome 
one-sided  development  becomes  apparent. 

Brookline's  location  in  the  metropolitan  district  suggests 
that  the  Manual  Training  activities  in  the  schools  should  repre- 
sent the  varied  and  significant  activities  of  the  city.  A  cultural 
education  would  not  be  complete  that  did  not  acquaint  the  indi- 
vidual with  the  typical  activities  of  his  environment.  The 
Boston  metropolitan  district  is  the  environment  of  Brookline 
children.  So  far  as  Manual  Training  in  the  schools  is  concerned, 
the  children  of  Brookline  are  deprived  of  contact  with  the  wonder- 
ful and  varied  activities  going  on  about  them. 

A  selection  of  Manual  Training  activities,  that  would  give  the 
children  an  intelligent  appreciation  of  their  own  environment  and 
at  the  same  time  develop  powers  of  initiative  in  thinking  and 
doing,  could  be  based  on  a  study  of  local  activities  that  are  signifi- 
cant and  adaptable  to  school  conditions.  Such  activities  as  trans- 
portation, communication,  printing,  building  construction,  metal 
work,  electrical  work  furnish  a  partial  list  of  possibilities  for 
Manual  Training  in  the  Brookline  schools.  While  transportation 
is  studied  simple  cars  and  track  could  be  worked  out  in  soft  metal 
casting,  sheet  metal,  and  wood.  The  telegraph  and  telephone 
could  represent  communication.     If  the  organization  is  to  re- 


294  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

main  as  at  present  a  simple  inexpensive  printing  equipment 
should  be  installed  in  each  grammar  school  and  operated  as  part 
of  the  Manual  Training,  otherwise  in  the  Junior  High  School. 
Practical  carpentry  and  cement  jobs  which  offer  valuable  educa- 
tive experiences  can  usually  be  found  about  the  school  plants. 
Simple  metal  and  electrical  projects  are  well  within  the  possibili- 
ties of  grammar  school  boys.  If  a  Junior  High  School  is  organized 
ample  equipment  and  a  proper  teaching  staff  will  be  available 
for  the  upper  grades.  Bringing  these  children  to  one  center 
obviates  the  necessity  of  duphcating  equipment  and  makes  possible 
the  best  use  of  the  teachers'  time. 

But  this  work  can  be  taught  successfully  by  men  only.  It 
has  become  generally  recognized  that  teaching  grammar  school 
shop  work  is  not  women's  work.  Good  women  teachers  of 
Manual  Training  with  special  training  in  primary  school  pedagogy 
usually  make  excellent  primary  Handwork  supervisors.  This  is 
the  women's  field  in  present  day  Manual  Training. 

The  ninth  grade  classes  in  the  Runkle,  Lawrence  and  Devo- 
tion Schools  do  not  have  Manual  Training.  If  a  worth-while 
course  in  this  subject  were  put  in  operation,  these  classes  could 
well  afford  to  take  time  for  it.  The  large  majority  of  children  in 
high  school  do  not  receive  training  in  manual  or  technical  work. 
For  such  children,  as  well  as  for  those  who  do  not  enter  high  school, 
a  broad  and  practical  Manual  Training  Course  offers  much  as 
an  educational  asset. 

When  projects  in  the  various  materials  have  been  selected 
that  call  for  the  appKcations  of  principles  of  design,  they  should 
be  worked  out  under  a  plan  of  co-operation  between  the  Drawing 
instructors  and  shop  instructor.  No  such  plan  seems  to  be  in 
operation  in  BrookUne.  If  a  supervisor  of  Drawing  and  a  super- 
visor of  Manual  Training  were  each  directing  their  respective 
fields,  correlation  would  be  far  more  possible  than  it  is  at  present. 
Now  there  is  no  responsible  director  for  either  subject. 

Worth-while  Manual  Training  can  hardly  be  developed  in 
a  school  system  as  large  as  that  of  Brookhne  without  special 
guidance.  The  services  of  a  competent  supervisor  could  be  applied 
with  advantage  to  the  Manual  Training,  Practical  Arts,  or  Junior 


The  Special  Branches  295 

High  School  shop  work  if  such  a  school  is  organized,  and  to 
high  school  shop  work. 

Music. 

The  capacity  to  enjoy  the  best  music  and  unite  with  others 
in  giving  it  expression  is  the  leading  purpose  of  teaching  music 
in  our  schools.  But  singing  has  two  other  values  which  help  to 
justify  the  time  and  effort  expended  upon  it  in  the  schools  of 
BrookUne  and  elsewhere.  It  furnishes  a  strong  bond  of  sympathy 
between  the  teacher  and  her  pupils,  and  it  greatly  helps  to  bring 
about  a  true  school  spirit.  All  can  spontaneously  and  heartily 
co-operate  in  singing,  and  when  they  do  so,  melody  and  harmony 
react  to  establish  that  school  spirit  which  is  so  desirable  in  any 
school. 

With  the  leading  purpose  of  teaching  Music  clearly  in  mind, 
we  are  ready  to  ask,  first.  How  can  that  purpose  be  obtained? 
and,  second.  To  what  extent  is  that  purpose  being  obtained  in 
Brookline? 

No  one  will  deny,  I  believe,  that  in  order  to  develop  and 
strengthen  the  love  for  the  best  music  the  children  must  sing  the 
best  music.  They  should  have  actual  experience  with  the  choice, 
the  classic,  models  in  the  world  of  song.  That  means  that  a  special 
effort  should  be  made  to  select  those  simple  and  beautiful  songs 
which  Uve  today  because  there  is  in  them  a  fine  quality  which 
may  make  them  immortal.  These  songs  should  be  taught  the 
children  for  the  same  reason  that  we  teach  them  to  memorize 
beautiful  poems.  We  exercise  great  care  in  the  selection  of  such 
poems,  which  the  younger  children  often  learn  without  being  able 
to  read  the  Knes.  But  in  the  case  of  poetry  we  go  farther,  for  we 
wish  to  give  the  children  the  power  to  read  for  themselves  so  that 
they  will  not  be  dependent  upon  others  to  read  poetry  for  them. 
And  so  we  help  them  to  overcome  the  technical  difficulties  involved 
in  learning  to  read,  and  in  this  way  we  extend  their  power  of  enjoy- 
ing fine  Uterature.  Yet  even  after  they  have  learned  to  read  we 
continue  to  select  for  them  and  place  before  them  the  best  models, 
the  simple  and  beautiful  poems  with  the  hope  that  these  may 
five  in  the  hearts  of  the  children  and  give  joy  and  inspiration  to 
their  fives. 


296  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

In  the  same  way  there  are  technical  difficulties  in  learning 
to  read  music,  pitch  names,  time  names,  rhythmic  figures,  and 
staff  notation.  How  much  time  and  effort  shall  we  expend  upon 
the  mastery  of  the  simple  elements  of  the  technical  side  of  singing? 
One  group  of  music  supervisors  says  that  this  is  the  feature  which 
claims  the  most  emphatic  attention.  So  they  lay  special  stress 
upon  individual  work  and  upon  sight  singing.  Their  argument 
is  that  the  pupil  will  enjoy  in  proportion  to  his  intellectual  power 
to  overcome  the  technical  difficulties  which  the  bodily  structure 
—  the  intellectual  framework  —  presents,  that  when  he  has  this 
power  he  is  not  only  as  self-reliant  and  as  independent  as  he  is 
in  being  able  to  read  the  words  and  Unes  of  a  poem,  but  that  he 
also  more  keenly  appreciates  the  vital  spirit  —  the  soul  of  music 
which  lives  within  the  body.  With  this  belief,  they  teach  sight 
singing  not  as  an  end  in  itself,  but  as  a  means  to  an  end. 

The  other  group  of  supervisors  lays  much  stress  upon  rote 
singing.  They  do  considerable,  to  be  sure,  with  graded  exer- 
cises, which  the  entire  group  of  pupils  learn  and  sing  together, 
but  they  do  little  individual  work  in  sight  singing.  They  also 
spend  much  time  and  effort  in  getting  good,  sweet  tones,  on  the 
ground,  of  course,  that  when  the  song  is  sung  with  sweet  voices 
its  refining,  civilizing  influence  is  great '^r. 

There  is  a  grave  danger  in  laying  undue  stress  upon  technical 
difficulties,  and  the  danger  is  twofold:  In  the  first  place,  the 
graded  exercises  may  be  made  so  artificial  and  wooden  that  they 
dull  the  pupil's  taste  for  good  music  and  stifle  his  interest  in  music 
of  any  kind.  He  may  come  to  hate  the  sight  of  his  music  book 
and  to  feel  unhappy  when  the  time  comes  for  the  singing  lesson. 
And  in  the  second  place,  there  may  be  but  little  time  left  for  the 
singing  of  those  beautiful  models  of  simple  classic  songs  which 
nourish  the  spirit  and  enrich  and  refine  the  fife  of  the  singer. 

It  ought  to  be  possible  with  correct  methods  of  work  and  a 
fair  time  allotment  to  overcome  in  our  elem  ntary  grades,  to  a 
reasonable  extent,  the  technical  difficulties  and,  also,  to  accom- 
plish the  pre-eminent  purpose  of  teaching  Music.  By  a  reasonable 
power  over  the  technical  difficulties,  we  mean  that  at  the  end  of 
the  elementary  school  course  nearly  all  children  should  be  able 


The  Special  Branches  297 

to  read  at  sight  or  practically  at  sight  such  simple  tunes  as  are 
sung  by  congregations  in  our  churches.  But  to  enable  the  pupils 
to  gain  this  power  there  must  be  considerable  individual  work 
done  by  the  use  of  individual  slips,  certainly  in  all  the  grades 
above  the  third.  So  far  as  we  were  able  to  learn,  no  individual 
slips  are  in  use  in  Brookhne  below  Grade  V,  none  in  Grades  VIII 
and  IX,  and  practically  no  sight  singing  in  any  grades.  As  a 
natural  outcome,  the  sight  singing  which  came  under  observation 
in  the  upper  grammar  grades  and  in  the  fourth  and  third-year 
classes  in  the  high  school  was  very  weak.  This  can  and  should 
be  remedied. 

On  the  other  hand,  it  is  a  pleasure  to  commend  in  strong  terms 
the  work  in  Music  from  the  standpoint  of  voice  quality,  the  spirit 
of  the  singing,  and  the  kind  of  songs  which  were  sung,  either  by 
rote  or  by  note.  Special  attention  is  given  to  the  selection  of 
the  best,  and  the  children  in  most  of  the  groups  visited  sang  with 
warm  enthusiasm  and  marked  precision.  Thirty-four  folk  songs 
are  found  in  the  first  six  grades  of  the  course.  Moreover,  in  order 
to  enrich  the  children's  musical  experience  still  further,  all  the 
grammar  school  buildings  are  supplied  with  phonographs.  In 
commenting  upon  this  fact  Supervisor  Cole  wisely  remarks: 
''I  believe  that  the  children  should  sing,  and  that  they  should  also 
listen  to  the  best  music.  Both  processes  are  necessary  to  their 
symmetrical  development." 

We  recommend  that  the  work  in  the  first  and  second  grades 
be  confined  almost  or  quite  wholly  to  the  singing  by  rote  of  the 
very  best  folk  songs  which  can  be  selected  for  young  children, 
and  that  the  same  care  be  exercised  as  now  in  getting  a  sweet,  pure 
quality  of  tone.  In  the  third  grade  simpler  technical  difficulties 
could  well  be  taken  up,  and  from  that  time  on  much  attention 
be  given  to  the  individual  singing  of  sUps  adapted  to  the  special 
needs  of  the  pupils.  Such  individual  work  would  result  in  giving 
the  children  self-reliance  and  the  power  to  read  music.  If  this 
sort  of  work  were  done  in  a  systematic  and  intelligent  way,  much 
the  larger  part  of  the  children  would  be  able  to  read  simple  music 
at  sight  at  the  close  of  their  elementary  school  course. 


298  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

An  opportunity  should  be  given,  also,  for  pupils  to  take  a 
course  in  Musical  Appreciation  in  the  high  school.  Such  an  ex- 
tension of  the  Course  of  Study  would  certainly  strengthen  the  good 
work  which  is  now  being  done  in  Music  in  the  Brookline  schools. 


CHAPTER    X. 
GRADES  VIII  AND  IX. 

Grades  VIII  and  IX  may  be  considered  together  advan- 
tageously, both  because  here  arise  a  number  of  questions  not 
appHcable  to  the  lower  grades  and  because  here  must  be  handled 
certain  matters  upon  which  the  Survey  Staff  has  been  specifically 
asked  to  pass  judgment. 

The  "Certificate  to  High  School.'' 
Brookline  appears  to  be  pursuing  a  decidedly  illiberal  policy 
in  the  matter  of  promotion  to  the  high  school  by  requiring  that 
pupils,  in  order  to  be  thus  promoted,  not  only  must  complete  the 
ninth  grade,  securing  the  diploma,  but  must  also  secure  the 
"  certificate  to  high  school."  This  certificate  in  at  least  two  of  the 
schools,  the  Lincoln  and  the  Pierce,  must  be  withheld  almost  every 
year  from  a  very  considerable  fraction  of  the  class,  as  may  be  judged 
from  the  showing  for  the  past  four  years  presented  in  the  following 
table.  Here  we  see  that  160  pupils,  an  average  of  40  per  year, 
though  they  received  the  diploma  for  "completing"  the  elementary 
school  course  and  had  spent  upon  that  course  nine  years  in  the 
hands  of  teachers  decidedly  better  than  average  city  teachers  and 
in  classes  mostly  much  smaller  than  the  average  of  city  public 
school  classes,  yet  these  160  were  denied  the  high  school  certificate^' 

This  policy  of  restricting  admission  to  the  high  school  is  not 
much  mitigated  by  the  practice  of  giving  to  such  excluded  pupils 
the  privilege  of  entering  the  School  of  Practical  Arts;  and,  in  fact, 
but  few  of  them  appear  to  be  avaiUng  themselves  of  the  latter 
privilege.  Moreover,  the  following  table  does  not  tell  the  whole 
story  of  Brookhne's  restricted  promotion  from  the  ninth  grade, 
as  the  figures  for  "certificated"  pupils  include  a  considerable 
number  promoted  conditionally  "on  three  months'  trial,"  and  as 
no  account  is  here  rendered  of  pupils  rated  below  the  passing  re- 

299 


300 


School  Survey  of  Brookline 


quirement  and  accordingly  classified  to  repeat  the  grade  or  quit 
school. 


Promotion 

AND  Non-Promotion  to 

High  School. 

School 

Number  Com- 
pleting the  Course 

Number  Receiv- 
ing Certificate 

Number  Denied 
Certificates 

1916 

1915 

1914 

1913 

1916 

1915 

1914 

1913 

1916 

1915 

1914 

1913 

Devotion 

35 

38 

40 

46 

33 

37 

39 

45 

2 

1 

1 

1 

Heath 

18 

19 

26 

22 

17 

19 

22 

19 

1 

0 

4 

3 

Lawrence 

28 

36 

35 

39 

25 

35 

33 

36 

3 

1 

2 

3 

Lincoln 

51 

52 

56 

49 

38 

37 

32 

35 

13 

15 

24 

14 

Pierce. 

63 

73 

70 

80 

50 

64 

50 

57 

13 

9 

20 

28 

Runkle 

46 

39 

36 

40 

43 

38 

34 

39 

3 

1 

2 

1 

Totals 

241 

257 

263 

276 

206 

230 

210 

231 

35 

27 

53 

45 

Total  denied  certificate  in  last  four  years 160 

Figures  from  principals'  special  report  on  this  subject. 


^Without  any  doubt  most,  if  not  every  one,  of  the  160  pupils 
awarded  the  diploma  for  completing  Brookline's  ninth  grade  would 
have  been  welcomed  into  the  high  school  of  any  other  school 
system.  Their  exclusion  from  Brookline  High  School  seems  the 
less  defensible  in  view  of  the  fact  that,  even  if  these  pupils  were 
weak  in  the  college  preparatory  subjects  begun  in  Grade  IX,  they 
might  at  least  have  been  admitted  to  the  non-college-preparatory 
courses,  the  Technical  Course,  and  the  Commercial  Course.  It 
may  be  recommended,  therefore,  that  the  ''certificate  to  high 
school"  be  abolished,  or,  if  there  is  any  strong  feehng  that  it  must 
be  continued  for  the  present  in  some  form,  that  it  shall  operate 
to  exclude  only  from  the  two  college  preparatory  courses  in  the 
high  school.     As  a  matter  of  fact,  if  a  general  reorganization  in  the 


Grades  VIII  and  IX  301 

intermediate  grades  is  undertaken,  in  line  with  suggestions  pre- 
sented elsewhere,  the  certificate  to  high  school  will  doubtless 
disappear  automatically  as  being  altogether  inappropriate  in  the 
new  organization.  Going  to  high  school  in  Brookhne,  it  would 
seem,  may  be  safely  popularized  to  a  considerable  extent  before 
there  will  arise  any  real  danger  of  the  pupils'  faiUng  to  get  that 
"adequate  prehminary  training"  which  the  Superintendent  has 
rightly  advocated.     (Brookhne  School  Report,  1911,  pages  32-33.) 

Size  of  Classes  in  Grades  VIII  and  IX. 
In  the  section  of  this  study  devoted  to  the  school  plant,  at- 
tention was  directed  to  the  near-overflow  conditions  in  several  of 
the  nine-grade  schools  owing  to  the  increase  in  upper  grade  en- 
rollment, an  increase  that  will  certainly  be  greatly  accelerated 
by  the  liberalizing  of  promotions  to  the  high  school  and  by  anj- 
Junior  High  School  development  that  may  be  undertaken.  Here 
the  size  of  classes  in  Grades  VIII  and  IX  is  to  be  examined  for 
the  purpose  of  comparing  these  classes  among  themselves  and  com- 
paring them  as  a  group  with  the  general  average  size  of  classes 
in  all  the  grammar  grades,  and  for  the  further  purpose  of  determin- 
ing whether  the  ninth  grade  is  a  serious  enough  hurdle  in  the 
school  course  to  cause  just  at  this  point  a  marked  elimination  from 
school.  To  facilitate  consideration  of  these  questions,  the  follow- 
ing two  tables  have  been  prepared: 


302 


School  Survey  of  Brookline 


X! 


o 

o 

CD 
< 

B 

o 


X 

!>. 

lO 

lO 

o 

-^ 
d 

>--, 

T*H 

lO 

■^ 

lO 

^     00 

'^ 

o 

I^ 

CO     C^ 

lO 

lO 

-^ 

•-»« 

•X- 

l*-( 

GO     Oi 

t^     (M 

CO 

05 

^ 

(M     (N 

CO   CO  d 

CO 

Tf 

X 

CO    t^ 

t>-          00 

o 

00     00 

•-^ 

CO     CO 

CO     CO 

Tf 

CO     CO 

^1 

cC 

»>*i 

00  i>-  lO 

05  00  O) 

05  t^  CO 

(M  lO  L'2 

;^ 

(M  (M  (M! 

(N  (N  (M 

CI  (M  (N 

CO  CO  CO 

•*-( 

►-N, 

>o   o 

CO     (N 

o 

o   rvi 

^ 

Ttt       -^ 

rf     -* 

CO 

Tf4       TJH 

>< 

1>   t^ 

Oi   00 

(N     05 

s 

>< 

(M     (M 

(M     <M 

CO 

CO     (M 

►-I 

§ 

OS    lO 

<M     1-1 

(M 

LQ     (M 

3 

(N     CO 

CO     CO 

CO 

CO     CO 

•-^ 

•-^ 

l—t                  T-( 

CO     CO 

o 

Tf<      ^ 

t^ 

CO     CO 

CO     CO 

CO 

CO     CO 

>< 

l>- 

1— < 

00 

t^ 

•-^ 

(N 

CO 

CO 

CO 

S 

5J 

»*^ 

S 

00 

■* 

00 

CO 

<N 

CO 

c^ 

-^ 

^ 

t-^ 

1^ 

lO 

o 

00 

o 

t^ 

CO 

■^ 

CO 

CO 

>< 

(M 

00 

o 

Ci 

"< 

►-i 

CO 

<N 

(M 

•^ 

e 

1^ 

lO 

05 

(M 

o 

^ 

CO 

CO 

(M 

<M 

»*-( 

►-^ 

00 

05 

l:^ 

CI 

1^ 

CO 

CO 

CO 

CO 

>< 

(M     00 

00 

(M 

CO 

8 

>^ 

CO     (N 

CO 

Tf 

-* 

*^ 

1 

^ 
•*-1 

^ 

»0     CO 

(N     b- 

t^ 

(M 

(M     (M 

CO     CO 

CO 

Tt^ 

iS 

»--i 

•--i 

ir^    CO 

05      t^ 

(M 

CO 

CO     CO 

«M     CO 

CO 

Tt^ 

CO 

lO 

Tf 

CO 

1—1 

—4 

05 

05 

05 

o 

1—1 

^ 

o 

o 

a 

'o 

O  t-i 

c  & 

.a  <u 

^  2 

M  o 

CO  o3 


Grades  VIII  and  IX  303 

Upper  Grades  to  High  School. 


1913 

1914 

1915 

1916 

High  School  —  First  Year 
Class  IX  (Class  X) 

222 

247 

252 

202 

Total  —  Grade  IX 

296 

285 

274 

290 

Total  —  Grade  VIII 

327 

289 

345 

317 

Total  —  Grade  VII 

304* 

344 

371 

347 

(Figures  for  high  school  from  tables  tor  membership  at  end  of  December 
—  except  1916,  which  is  for  November.  Figures  for  grades  are  summarized 
from  preceding  table.) 

*Perhaps  should  be  greater;  table  for  1913  is  ambiguous  in  Runkle 
column. 


In  the  first  of  these  tables  class  figures  are  given  for  Grades 
VII,  VIII  and  IX  through  the  past  four  years,  Grade  VII  being 
included  in  order  to  show  the  preceding  grade  enrollment  from 
which  Grade  VIII  has  been  recruited.  Studying,  however,  the 
columns  for  Grades  VIII  and  IX  only,  one  is  at  once  struck  with 
the  great  unevenness  in  the  size  of  classes.  The  extremes  are 
found  in  the  Heath  in  classes  of  18,  20  and  22,  and  at  the  other  end 
in  the  Runkle  in  classes  of  54,  55  and  56.  This  situation  inci- 
dentally affords  another  commentary  on  the  inadequate  accom- 
modations for  the  last  two  grades  in  the  Runkle  School.  Now  the 
important  question  arises,  can  any  reorganization  be  effected  to 
reduce  or  possibly  wipe  out  altogether  the  present  undesirable 
disparity  in  the  size  of  these  eighth  and  ninth  grade  classes,  for 
under  these  conditions  the  educative  effects  upon  the  children 
and  the  instructional  burdens  upon  the  teachers  in  the  different 
schools  must  be  widely  variant.  The  solution  of  this  problem  is 
suggested  by  the  Pierce  School,  where  during  all  four  years  under 
exhibit  a  noticeable  evenness  of  classification  has  been  attained. 
But  the  Pierce  is  just  the  school  in  which  the  largest  number  of 
eighth  and  ninth  grades  have  come  together  at  one  place,  and  the 


304  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

conclusion  is  evident  that  any  plan  for  bringing  together  into  one 
school  a  still  larger  number  of  the  ninth  grade  or  eighth  and  ninth 
grade  classes  would  furnish  among  other  advantages  a  ready  means 
of  leveling  classes  and  equalizing  teachers'  work. 

Another  striking  fact  is  disclosed  by  the  first  of  the  foregoing 
tables.  Here  it  is  shown  that,  though  the  general  average  size 
of  classes  (number  of  pupils  per  teacher  given  annually  in  the 
school  report)  in  the  grammar  grades  is  not  over  30  pupils,  the 
enrollment  in  Grades  VIII  and  IX  under  present  conditions  is 
very  much  above  this  average.  Of  the  72  eighth  and  ninth  grade 
classes  that  the  table  presents,  44  range  in  size  from  31  to  56  pupils 
(12  classes  having  over  40  pupils)  and  only  28  have  the  lower  en- 
rollment of  18  to  29  pupils.  Again,  the  Pierce  School  leads  in  the 
amelioration  of  this  unfavorable  condition  also;  for,  by  the  greater 
congregation  of  upper  grade  pupils  here,  this  one  school  was  able 
to  produce  one-third  (nine)  of  the  28  under-30  classes.  Would  not 
a  still  broader  plan  of  concentrating  ninth  grade  or  eighth  and 
ninth  grade  classes  bring  about  a  further  reduction  of  these  greatly 
over-average,  and  for  Brookhne  excessively  large,  upper  grade 
classes? 

Another  noticeable  unevenness  in  upper  grade  classification, 
brought  about  by  the  scattering  of  the  work  among  several  schools, 
is  found  in  the  foreign  language  sections  of  Grade  IX  in  the  four 
schools  offering  Latin  and  French.  The  table  given  below,  and 
entitled  "  Foreign  Language  in  Grade  IX,"  presents  figures  of  the 
number  of  pupils  electing  the  two  foreign  languages  in  the  autumn 
of  1916  in  the  Devotion,  Lawrence,  Pierce  and  Runkle  Schools. 
By  combining  the  figures  first  for  Latin  and  then  for  French,  one 
finds:  four  classes  in  Latin,  aggregating  106  pupils,  averaging  26 
pupils  per  class,  but  being  taught  in  classes  of  19,  24,  29  and  34 
pupils  respectively;  and  four  classes  in  French,  aggregating  99 
pupils,  averaging  25  pupils  per  class,  but  being  taught  in  classes 
of  18,  24,  25  and  32  pupils  respectively.  Without  doubt  the 
bringing  together  of  these  pupils  into  one  center  would  make  easy 
the  equalizing  of  the  foreign  language  sections. 

Finally,  reverting  to  the  second  table  presented  above,  and  en- 
titled "  Upper  Grades  to  High  School,"  one  finds  a  very  considerable 


Grades  VIII  and  IX  305 

loss  of  pupils  in  the  passage  from  the  eighth  grade  to  the  ninth, 
as  well  as  in  the  passage  from  the  ninth  to  the  high  school.  Loss 
at  the  latter  point  is  to  be  expected,  for  the  end  of  the  elementary- 
school  course  is  here  reached  and  a  nine-grade  diploma  is  won; 
but  loss  from  eighth  to  ninth  is  very  significant  as  indicating  the 
inability  of  the  schools  to  hold  many  pupils  beyond  eight  grades  — 
when  high  school  seems  still  far  off  and  there  is  also  the  well- 
known  risk  of  missing  the  "certificate  to  high  school."  Reading 
the  figures  of  the  table  diagonally  upward  from  year  to  year, 
beginning  at  the  bottom,  and  combining  them  for  the  past  three 
years,  one  gets  the  result:  from  Grade  VII  to  Grade  VIII  there 
was  a  net  loss  of  68  pupils  (figures  304,  344  and  371  becoming  289, 
345  and  317  respectively);  from  Grade  VIII  to  Grade  IX  there 
was  a  loss  of  112  pupils;  and  from  Grade  IX  to  the  first  year  of  the 
high  school  there  was  a  loss  of  154  pupils.  Obviously,  from  the 
point  of  view  of  reducing  elimination  in  the  Brookline  school 
system,  the  ninth  grade  is  a  point  requiring  very  serious  attention. 
Is  there  any  reorganization  concerning  which  the  confident  pre- 
diction may  be  made  that  it  will  so  mediate  the  passage  from 
Grade  VII  to  the  high  school  as  to  prolong  the  schooling  of  a 
greater  proportion  of  pupils  than  now  survive  Grade  IX? 


306 


School  Survey  of  Brookline 


Age  of  Pupils  in  Grade  IX. 
The  successive  school    reports  present    annually  an  inter- 
esting paragraph  headed  "  Age  Conditions  in  Grade  IX."  The  ages 
of  the  pupils  are  given  in  tables,  the  most  recent  of  which  is  re- 
produced herewith  from  the  report  of  1915,  page  38: 

Grade  IX  Ages  1915-16. 


ill 

03 

li 

03 
CO 

fl'-l 

11 

2 

o3 

i 

li 

li 

wi2 

li 

i 

>> 

00 

li 

li 

«0O 

School  A 

37 

0 

0 

1 

12 

17 

4 

3 

0 

School  B 

19 

0 

0 

2 

6 

b 

4 

1 

0 

School  C 

30 

0 

0 

6 

9 

9 

5 

1 

0 

School  D 

56 

0 

0 

3 

16 

20 

12 

4 

1 

School  E 

71 

0 

1 

13 

33 

20 

4 

0 

0 

School  F 

54 

0 

0 

13 

19 

13 

5 

4 

0 

Totals 

267 

0 

1 

.38 

95 

85 

34 

13 

1 

Percentasjes 

0 

0 

14 

36 

32 

13 

5 

0 

"Pupils  to  complete  the  grammar  school  course  in  June,  1916." 


Grades  VIII  and  IX 


30 


The  most  significant  fact  revealed  by  this  table  is  obtained 
by  combining  the  figures  along  the  percentage  line.  Doing  this 
brings  the  result  that  50  per  cent  of  the  ninth  grade  pupils  are 
over  15  years  of  age  and  18  per  cent  of  them  are  over  16  years  old. 
Following  this  item  back  for  several  years,  one  readily  makes  up 
a  tabulation  of: 


Grade  IX  Age  Percentages  for  Five  Years 


Year 

Per  Cent 
Over  15  Years 

Per  Cent 
Over  16  Years 

1915-16 

50% 

18% 

1914-15 

57 

26 

1913-14 

54 

20 

1912-13 

50^2 

161^ 

1911-12 

391/2 

141^ 

From  these  figures  it  appears  that  the  dominant  age  of  ninth 
grade  pupils  has  been  for  some  time  15  years  and  over;  and  also 
that  this  age  has  been  rising  since  1911-12.  Consequently,  pupils 
in  the  Brookline  school  system,  on  completing  the  elementary 
school  course,  are  in  at  least  half  of  the  cases  at  the  age  of  15  to  16, 
one  year  or  more  older  than  the  "normal  age"  of  14  for  completing 
the  elementary  school  course  in  the  United  States;  and,  when  those 
who  go  on  to  high  school  have  completed  the  four-year  secondary 
course,  their  dominant  age  will  be  19  years  rather  than  the  "  normal 
age"  of  18  for  high  school  graduation  and  completion  of  college 
preparation.  This  statement  is  borne  out  by  the  age-grade  tables 
of  the  high  school  pupils,  although  in  such  an  age  item  the  showing 
may  be  expected  to  appear  less  unfavorable  as  higher  and  higher 
grades  are  examined,  for  the  simple  reason  that  more  and  more  of 
the  "over-aged"  pupils  will  have  withdrawn  from  school.  Two 
questions,   therefore,   arise:  First,   when  the   great  majority   of 


308  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

American  cities  pass  their  pupils  from  the  first  grade  to  the  high 
school  diploma  and  college  admission  in  twelve  years,  why  should 
Brookhne  devote  thirteen  years  to  a  corresponding  curriculum 
which  is  apparently  not  substantially  more  extensive  than  the 
common  public  school  curriculum?  Second,  as  the  fifteen  and 
sixteen-year-old  pupils  of  the  Brookhne  ninth  grade  are  plainly 
"of  high  school  age/'  can  such  an  upper-grade  reorganization  be 
effected  as  will  place  these  pupils  in  a  situation  more  nearly  re- 
sembling high  school  conditions  than  the  present  very  limited 
departmental  organization  of  Grade  IX  affords?  In  fact,  despite 
the  very  pleasing  relations  manifested  between  pupils  and  teachers 
in  the  Brookhne  upper  grades,  the  query  inevitably  comes:  Are 
not  these  large  ninth-grade  boys  and  girls  being  now  subjected 
to  a  quite  unnecessary  amount  of  motheringf 

Teachers'  Assignments  in  Grade  IX. 
In  a  former  section  attention  was  directed  to  the  different 
burdens  carried  by  upper  grade  teachers,  owing  to  the  very  uneven 
size  of  eighth  and  ninth  grade  classes  in  the  different  schools.  A 
close  study  of  the  departmental  organization  and  assignments  of 
instruction  arranged  by  the  six  nine-grade  school  principals  brings 
out  the  fact  that  some  of  the  teachers'  instructional  loads  in  sub- 
jects to  be  taught  are  decidedly  heavier  than  upper  grade  depart- 
mental teachers  usually  carry  and  also  more  extensive  in  scope 
than  the  assignments  borne  by  many  high  school  teachers.  As 
examples  of  this  the  following  may  be  cited:  A  Pierce  School 
teacher  is  carrying  the  regular  branches  of  the  grade  and  in  addi- 
tion, Latin,  French  and  Algebra;  a  Devotion  School  teacher  is 
carrying  the  regular  branches  of  the  grade  and  in  addition,  Latin 
and  History  of  England;  a  Heath  School  teacher  is  carrying  the 
grade  work  and  History  of  England;  a  Lawrence  School  teacher  is 
carrying  the  grade  work  and  History  of  England  and  Algebra;  a 
Runkle  School  teacher  is  carrying  the  grade  work  and  Latin, 
Enghsh  Literature  and  History  of  England;  and  the  Lawrence 
School  principal  is  administering  his  school  and  teaching  certain 
grade  subjects  and  in  addition  Latin  and  French.  With  assign- 
ments as  broad  as  these,  embracing  high  school  subject  matter  as 


Grades  VIII  and  IX  309 

well  as  grade  work  can  teachers  thoroughly  prepare  for  all  their 
instruction  and  conscientiously  examine  all  the  pupils'  work, 
especially  in  a  situation  like  the  Runkle  with  maximum-sized 
classes?  A  quite  equitable,  congenial  and  evenly  balanced  appor- 
tionment of  instruction  among  teachers  can  be  easily  worked  out 
where  all  the  classes  of  Grade  IX  or  any  other  grade  are  concen- 
trated in  a  single  school.    . 

Differentiation  of  Work  in  Grades  VIII  and  IX. 

After  seven  grades  of  practical  uniformity  in  all  the  schools, 
differentiation  of  curriculums  occurs  through  Grades  VIII  and  IX 
in  such  wise  that  the  pupils  have  open  to  them  a  Manual  Arts 
Course,  a  Household  Arts  Course,  and  an  Academic  or  College 
Preparatory  Course,  the  last  offering  elective  Latin  and  French. 
This  upper  grade  differentiation  is  quite  in  line  with  progressive 
practice  elsewhere,  for  it  produces  adaptations  of  instruction  to 
different  sorts  of  pupils,  develops  the  pupils'  varying  capacities, 
and  accelerates  preparation  for  a  prolonged  schooUng  in  <}ollege 
and  university.  Such  differentiation  is  now  often  so  administered 
that  the  pupils  may  experience  something  of  a  "  pre- vocational 
try  out ' '  of  their  abilities  (of  which  more  will  be  said  in  the  chapter 
on  the  School  of  Practical  Arts).  Unfortunately,  however,  in 
Brookline  any  such  tryout  is  practically  eliminated  because  no 
single  school  offers  all  three  of  the  curriculums  just  defined.  The 
Lincoln  and  the  Heath  Schools  afford  their  pupils  the  extended 
work  in  manual  and  domestic  arts,  but  give  them  no  opportunity 
of  electing  the  advanced  academic  work  in  the  form  of  the  foreign 
languages;  and,  on  the  other  hand,  the  pupils  in  the  Devotion 
Lawrence,  Pierce  and  Runkle  Schools  have  the  opportunity  of 
electing  Latin  or  French,  or  both,  thus  getting  a  start  in  these 
advanced  academic  studies,  but  they  have  no  chance  to  try  the 
advanced  manual  and  domestic  work.  And,  as  there  appears  to 
be  little,  or  no,  transferring  of  pupils  from  one  school  to  another 
in  order  to  get  educational  experiences  not  available  in  the  pupils' 
local  school,  the  practical  result  is  that  generally,  if  not  invariably, 
the  pupil  is  steered  unresistingly  into  the  special  curriculum  offered 
in  his  local  school  whether  or  not  that  is  the  best  available  course 


310  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

for  his  own  development.  He  probably  knows  little  and  thinks 
less  of  the  other  educational  opportunities  elsewhere  in  the  city 
system,  and  he  misses  entirely  the  enlightenment  that  comes  from 
being  in  a  school  where  all  the  different  work  of  various  curriculums 
may  be  seen.  Illustrating  this  doctrine  by  apph  cation  to  a 
particular  situation,  one  may  assent  that  in  all  probability  some, 
if  not  all,  of  those  seventy-odd  ninth  grade  boys  and  girls  in  the 
four  foreign  language  schools,  but  taking  neither  foreign  language, 
would,  if  they  had  access  to  good  manual  and  domestic  arts  work 
during  the  foreign  language  periods,  be  undergoing  an  experience 
more  genuinely  educative  than  the  effects  actually  being  wrought 
upon  them  by  the  "extra  Grammar,"  "extra  Arithmetic,"  and 
"drill  upon  what  they  need"  that  they  are  now  getting. 

As  at  the  end  of  preceding  sections  of  this  chapter,  here  again 
and  from  another  point  of  view  it  may  be  said  that  the  collection 
of  all  the  ninth  grade  classes  into  a  single  center  would  afford  the 
opportunity  of  administering  the  differentiation  of  courses  in  the 
most  effective  manner.  Under  such  conditions,  moreover,  the 
defects  of  the  present  partial  departmentalism  might  be  so  far 
removed  as  to  make  promotion  by  subject  in  this  upper  grade 
school  center  quite  as  feasible  as  it  is  in  an  ordinary  high  school. 
As  things  are  at  present  in  Brookline,  it  would  not  be  untrue  to 
say  that  tjie  city  is  conducting  a  five-year  high  school  course  with 
the  first-year  pupils  uneconomically  distributed  in  seven  schools, 
the  six  nine-grade  schools  and  the  School  of  Practical  Arts. 


The  Cost  of  Grade  IX. 

Attention  being  directed  to  Grade  IX  from  a  number  of  angles, 
it  will  be  interesting  to  inquire  what  this  grade  costs  the  citizens 
of  Brookline.  The  answer,  however,  is  not  so  easy  to  determine; 
nor  would  all  agree  upon  the  proper  way  of  arriving  at  the  cost  of 
any  particular  grade  in  a  school  system.  Including  the  ninth 
grade,  the  full  public  school  course  in  Brookline  runs  through 
thirteen  years,  and  obviously  it  costs  more  annually  to  maintain 
a  thirteen-grade  system  than  a  twelve-grade  system  would  cost. 
Without  attempting  to  settle  to  the  satisfaction  of  every  one  the 


Grades  VIII  and  IX  311 

strictly  accurate  mathematical   procedure   applicable  here,   one 
can  get  quite  simply  and  directly  two  very  significant  figures. 

The  first  is  obtained  from  the  teachers'  salary  roll.  Here 
nine  teachers  are  listed  as  teachers  of  Grade  IX,  receiving  $1000 
a  year  each.  It  happens  just  at  present  that  one  teacher  falls 
short  of  the  $1000  salary  by  $25,  but  this  is  an  accidental  and  im- 
material circumstance.  To  the  $9000  thus  obtained  an  appreci- 
able fraction  of  the  six  principals'  salaries  should  be  added  as 
directly  chargeable  to  ninth  grade  instruction.  Five  principals 
are  receiving  $2800  and  the  sixth  receives  this  year  $2200;  and 
these  principals  report  their  own  participation  in  the  instruction 
of  Grade  IX  as  requiring  the  following  amounts  of  time  per  week : 
7  to  8  hours;  5  periods  of  30  minutes  each;  10  periods  of  45  minutes 
each;  8  periods  of  45  minutes  each;  9  hours;  8  periods  of  45  minutes 
each.  Summing  up  fractions  of  the  principals'  salaries  in  propor- 
tion to  these  fractions  of  the  whole  weekly  schedule,  one  obtains 
an  amount  not  less  than  $3600;  or  assuming  that  a  principal's 
teaching  time  is  to  be  paid  for  on  the  basis  of  the  $1000  maximum 
for  a  full  ninth  grade  teaching  assignment,  one  gets  about  $1400. 
Probably  it  would  be  not  unfair  to  take  the  middle  figure  between 
$1400  and  $3600,  and  say  that  $2500  of  the  $16,200  being  paid  to 
nine-grade  school  principals  is  chargeable  to  ninth  grade  instruc- 
tion. Adding  this  $2500  to  the  $9000  paid  the  nine  teachers 
produces  $11,500  as  the  annual  cost  of  instruction  alone  involved 
in  the  maintenance  of  Grade  IX. 

The  second  simple  way  of  looking  at  the  expense  of  Grade 
IX  is  to  count  up  per  capita  costs  on  the  basis  of  the  number  of 
children  in  the  grade.  The  Brookline  School  Report  for  1915 
accepts  (p.  20)  the  State  Department's  computation  of  $70.25 
as  the  " cost  per  pupil"  for  the  year  1913-14  in  BrookUne.  Assum- 
ing that  this  figure  is  still  about  correct,  and  assuming  further 
that  it  is  particularly  appropriate  for  application  to  an  intermediate 
grade  in  the  system  like  Grade  IX,  and  multiplying  this  per  capita 
item  by  the  number  of  pupils  in  the  grade,  290  at  the  end  of  Oc- 
tober, 1916,  one  obtains  the  result  $20,372.50  as  the  cost  of  carry- 
ing Grade  IX  through  the  present  year. 
'       Put  this  $20,372.50  beside  the  $11,500  obtained  above  and 


312  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

the  conclusion  is  plain  that  Brookline  is  expending  certainly  from 
$10,000  to  $20,000  annually  in  the  maintenance  of  a  grade  that 
is  found  unnecessary  in  the  country  at  large  and  that  is  being 
steadily  discontinued  in  places  where  it  has  been  in  operation. 
Does  it  pay  in  Brookhne? 

Why  Continue  Grade  IX? 

Apparently  the  advisability  of  discontinuing  Grade  IX  has 
already  been  suggested  in  Brookline.  At  any  rate,  the  subject 
has  been  touched  upon  in  various  school  reports;  and  the  Report  of 
1911  handles  the  matter  (pages  31-33)  in  a  three-page  discussion  on 
^'Length  of  Elementary  School  Course."  Though  conceding  'Hhat 
a  considerable  number  of  places,  hitherto  maintaining  a  nine-year 
course,  have  adopted  the  eight-year  plan,"  the  report  upholds 
Brookline's  "refusal  to  conform  to  a  prevaihng  tendency."  At 
the  end  of  the  argument,  however,  occurs  the  qualified  statement 
that  the  nine-grade  course  may  well  be  retained  "unless  and  until 
there  take  place  in  Brookjine  very  great  changes  in  conditions." 
Doubtless  conditions  have  changed  considerably  during  the  five 
years  since  this  was  written,  and  very  marked  changes  in  upper 
grade  conditions  would  follow  promptly  upon  such  a  reorganiza- 
tion in  the  middle  of  the  school  system  as  would  congregate  into  a 
single  center  all  the  pupils  of  one  or  more  of  the  grades  between 
Grade  VI  and  the  present  second  year  of  the  high  school. 

The  nine-grade  elementary  school  has  been  all  ^,long  not  at  all 
a  national,  but  a  distinctly  New  England  institution,  and  every 
year  brings  reports  of  additional  New  England  cities  abandoning 
this  extension  of  the  elementary  course  —  just  recently,  for  ex- 
ample, the  journals  reported:  "New  Bedford,  Mass.,  lengthens 
the  school  year  two  weeks  and  drops  the  ninth  grade."  The 
Report  of  the  United  States  Commissioner  of  Education  for  the 
year  1912  (Vol.  I,  pages  140-141)  states:  "Some  years  ago  many 
cities  had  nine  grades  in  the  elementary  school;  now  very  few 
have  more  than  eight,  and  some  but  seven.  The  tendency  is 
undoubtedly  toward  shorter  and  simpler  elementary  courses. 
New  -England  was  for  many  years  the  stronghold  of  the  nine-year 
plan.     Practically  all  cities  of  any  size  in  New  England  now  have 


Grades  VIII  and  IX  313 

eight  grades,  and  a  few  have  adopted  the  'six  and  six'  plan." 
A  late  bulletin  from  the  national  Bureau  of  Education  (Bulletin 
1916,  No.  8)  is  authority  for  the  statement  that  the  '^  nine-year 
elementary  course  dates  back  to  1872,  when  the  school  superin- 
tendents of  New  England,  in  formal  session  at  Worcester,  Mass., 
fixed  the  age  of  entrance  at  five  and  adopted  a  program  of  studies 
for  primary  and  grammar  schools  to  cover  nine  years."  Whether 
or  not  Brookline  children  formerly,  before  the  introduction  of  the 
kindergarten,  began  the  elementary  course  at  the  age  of  five,  the 
school  reports  indicate  that  they  no  longer  do  so;  see,  for  example, 
the  Report  for  1911,  which  says  (page  30):  ''In  Brookline  the 
decided  majority  of  pupils  entering  the  lowest  primary  grade 
(Grade  I)  are  at  least  six  years  of  age." 

Now  Brookhne,  because  of  her  good  fortune  in  having  a 
comparatively  low  ratio  of  pupils  per  teacher,  and  because  of  her 
facilities  for  getting  good  teachers,  ought  to  be  even  more  able 
than  most  cities  to  pass  her  children  successfully  through  any 
reasonable  elementary  school  course  in  eight  years  and  through 
the  American  high  school  course,  including  fully  adequate  prepara- 
tion for  college  in  four  additional  years.  If  at  present  more  than 
the  college  preparatory  assignment  is  undertaken  in  certain  sub- 
jects {e.g.,  Latin,  Mathematics  or  History)  in  the  grades  between 
Grade  VIII  and  the  last  year  of  high  school,  one  asks  whether  such 
extended  instruction  in  certain  fields  is  the  best  use  to  make  of  the 
teacher,  time  and  salary  expenditure  involved.  If,  on  the  other 
hand,  more  than  the  prevailing  elementary  school  curriculum  is 
undertaken  in  the  nine-grade  course,  one  asks  whether  the  gains 
to  the  pupils  are  sufficient  to  compensate  for  the  time  expenditure 
of  a  year  more  on  their  schooKng,  a  very  pertinent  question  in 
these  days  when  economy  of  time  in  education  is  a  universal 
desideratum. 

The  additional  studies  constituting  the  principal  advantages 
brought  by  the  ninth  grade  in  advanced  work  are  the  introduction 
to  Latin,  French  and  Algebra,  and  the  elementary  History  of 
England.  Of  these,  the  first  two,  Latin  and  French,  and  probably 
the  third  also.  Algebra,  are  given  wholly  or  chiefly  in  the  interests 
of  pupils  who  intend  entering  the  high  school;  so  that  these  sub- 


314  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

jects  cannot  be  regarded  as  of  prime  importance  for  pupils  who 
will  go  no  farther  than  the  end  of  the  elementary  school  course,  if 
that  far.  Again,  the  Latin  and  French  are  not  offered  in  two  of 
the  schools,  are  offered  as  electives  only  in  the  other  four  schools, 
and  are  not  taken  at  all  by  a  considerable  number  of  the  ninth 
grade  pupils  in  those  schools  (37  per  cent  at  present,  as  will  be 
shown  below).  Moreover,  the  Latin  and  French,  and  probably 
the  Algebra  also,  of  the  ninth  grade  are  not  really  needed  for 
admission  to  and  success  in  the  first  year  of  at  least  two  of  the 
courses  in  Brookline  High  School,  the  General  and  Commercial 
Courses,  and  probably  this  is  the  case,  too,  with  a  third  course,  the 
Technical  Course  —  a  course,  however,  now  in  so  dwindling  a 
state  that  it  should  probably  be  taken  over  into  another  part  of 
the  school  system  (see  chapters  on  the  High  School  and  the  School 
of  Practical  Arts).  The  fourth  study,  elementary  History  of 
England,  does  constitute  a  real  gain  for  pupils  not  going  on  to 
high  school,  but  the  subject  appears  again  as  the  English  History 
of  the  third  year  of  the  high  school,  and  the  presence  of  this  study 
in  both  elementary  school  and  high  school  is  not  regarded  as  an 
unmixed  blessing  by  some  of  the  teachers  themselves,  for  on  the 
one  side  a  teacher  says,  ''After  our  ninth  grade  History  the  pupils 
look  upon  the  English  History  in  the  high  school  as  largely  a  mere 
repetition,"  and  on  the  other  side  a  teacher  says,  ''Before  our  high 
school  curriculum  revision,  when  English  History  was  in  the 
second  year,  the  ninth  grade  History  took  all  the  life  out  of  our 
work,  but  with  English  History  up  in  the  third  year  it  is  now  not 
so  bad.''  Finally,  there  is  in  BrookUne  no  systematic  organiza- 
tion of  the  work  to  enable  pupils  successful  in  the  high  school 
subjects  begun  in  the  grades  to  shorten  their  time  for  running  the 
whole  course  and  perhaps  win  the  high  school  diploma  in  four 
years  from  the  beginning  of  Grade  IX,  a  plan  very  carefully  worked 
out  in  some  other  cities  where  college  preparatory  subjects  are 
begun  in  ths  elementary  school. 

Another  aspect  of  the  question  of  the  final  net  gain  resulting 
from  Grade  IX  appears  in  an  examination  of  how  pupils  not  tak- 
ing Latin  or  French  or  both  are  occupied  during  the  foreign 


GrA-DES    VIII    AND    IX 


315 


language  periods.     The  number  of  pupils  in  this  class  is  larger 
than  might  be  supposed,  as  can  be  seen  from  the  following  table : 


Foreign  Languages  in  Grade  IX. 

Devotion 

Lawrence 

Pierce 

Runkle 

Totals 

Percentages 

Pupils  taking  both 
Latin  and  French 

22 

14 

19 

20 

75 

36% 

Pupils  taking  Latin 
only 

7 

5 

5 

14 

31 

>l 

>      27% 

Pupils  taking 
French  only .... 

2 

4 

13 

5 

24 

Pupils  taking 
neither  Latin  nor 
French 

29 

5 

33 

9 

76 

37%    , 

Totals 

m 

28 

70 

48 

206 

100% 

These  figujres,  obtained  in  the  schools  in  November,  1916,  may  be 
slightly  inaccurate  owing  to  the  absence  of  a  few  pupils  on  the  day  of  the 
inquiry. 

Here  are  pupils  to  the  extent  of  37  per  cent  of  the  whole  grade 
not  taking  either  foreign  language  and  additional  pupils  to  the 
extent  of  27  per  cent  taking  only  one  foreign  language,  a  total  of 
64  per  cent  of  all  the  pupils  to  be  kept  profitably  occupied  during 
the  foreign  language  periods.  The  principals'  statements  in 
reference  to  the  work  of  those  pupils  during  this  time  indicated 
that  they  were  chiefly  occupied  with  drill,  practice  work  and  re- 
views in  the  form  of  ''extra  English,"  "extra  Arithmetic,"  "extra 
Algebra,"  and  "what  they  need  most,"  an  account  by  no  means 
wholly  satisfying.  Hence,  although  in  some  cases  an  actual  edu- 
cative advance  may  come  in  the  foreign  language  time  for  pupils 
not  taking  a  foreign  language  —  for  example,  in  the  "  business 
letter-writing'  and  "citizenship  lessons"  in  the  Pierce  School  — 
it  seems  altogether  doubtful  whether  the  returns  to  the  pupils 


316  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

through  the  year  in  place  of  foreign  language  are  of  much  real 
value. 

The  last  item  here  to  be  posted  in  the  debit  column  of  Grade 
IX  consists  of  a  certain  discrimination  that  is  being  practiced 
against  Brookline  pupils,  both  in  the  town  itself  and  elsewhere, 
because  the  Brookline  elementary  course  is  on  the  nine-grade 
plan.  An  elementary  school  graduate  from  an  eight-grade  sys- 
tem in  another  city,  Boston  for  instance,  on  coming  to  Brookline 
is  admitted  directly  into  Brookhne  High  School  if  he  will  elect 
one  of  the  three  non-college-preparatory  courses,  the  General  or 
Technical  or  Commercial  Course;  the  Brookhne  pupil  from  the 
end  of  Brookline's  eighth  grade  may  not  enter  Brookline  High 
School  at  all,  not  even  to  pursue  as  does  the  former  pupil  a  non- 
college  preparatory  course,  but  must  first  spend  the  additional 
year  in  Grade  IX,  although  it  is  to  be  presumed  that  the  educa- 
tional accomphshment  at  the  end  of  eight  grades  in  Brookhne  is 
fully  equal  to  the  work  of  any  other  city's  eight-grade  course. 
On  the  other  hand,  Boston  similarly  discriminates  against  the 
Brookhne  pupil  from  the  eighth  grade  (as  a  high  official  in  the 
Boston  school  system  has  explained)  by  denying  him  admission 
to  a  Boston  high  school  except  upon  examination,  on  the  ground 
that  he  has  not  completed  an  elementary  school  course,  whereas  a 
graduate  from  any  eight-grade  system  is  excused  from  the  ex- 
amination and  admitted  upon  his  eighth  grade  diploma.  It  must 
furnish  small  comfort  to  any  Brookhne  parents  who  have  felt  this 
latter  discrimination,  to  know  that  Brookline  in  a  measure  gets 
even  with  Boston  or  any  other  city  by  requiring  that  the  eighth 
grade  graduate  from  outside  if  he  wants  to  pursue  a  college 
preparatory  course  in  Brookhne,  must  go  down  and  begin  in 
Brookhne's  ninth  grade  and  thus  take  five  years  to  prepare  for 
college,  when  he  could  have  accomplished  his  college  preparation 
in  four  years  in  a  high  school  of  Boston  or  almost  any  other  city. 

The  conclusion  to  which  all  the  foregoing  paragraphs  of  this 
section  lead  is:  Why  continue  Grade  IX?  If,  as  seems  certain, 
this  grade  will  be  abolished  eventually,  why  not  now  or  at  least 
soon,  planning  for  it  now?  Brookline's  ninth  grade  might  be 
considered  a  worthy  extension  of  public  school  opportunities  if 


Grades  VIII  and  IX  317 

the  city  possessed  no  high  school  —  but  it  has  the  high  school  and 
the  Practical  Arts  School.  And  Brookline  can  have  a  certain 
very  valuable  new  school,  a  possible  development  to  which  the 
next  section  will  be  devoted. 


A  Junior  High  School  for  Brookline. 

The  discussion  presented  in  the  foregoing  sections  points 
clearly  to  the  desirability  of  a  reorganization  in  the  middle  part 
of  Brooldine's  school  system,  so  that  a  concentration  of  classes 
in  certain  grades  may  be  effected;  and  just  as  clearly  it  may  be 
said  that  such  a  reorganization  can  be  readily  obtained  by  the 
establishment  of  a  Junior  High  School  in  Brookline.  ■ 

At  this  date,  and  for  so  enhghtened  a  community  as  Brook- 
line, no  elaborate  definition  or  description  of  the  Junior  High  School 
as  a  type  is  needed.  It  may  be  well,  however,  to  record  the  con- 
cise definition  adopted  tentatively  by  the  United  States  Com- 
missioner of  Education  (Commissioner's  Report,  1914,  Vol.  I, 
pages  5,  137)  which  is  "an  organization  of  Grades  7 
and  8  or  7  to  9  to  provide  by  various  means  for  individual 
differences,  especially  by  an  earlier  introduction  of  prevocational 
work  and  of  subjects  usually  taught  in  the  high  school";  and  it 
may  be  noted  that  already  three  years  ago  (academic  year 
1913-14)  perhaps  as  many  as  193  cities  had  Junior  High 
Schools  of  some  sort.  (1.  c,  page  147.)  It  may  be  well  also 
to  say  that  the  recent  enthusiastic  movement  for  the  introduction 
of  Junior  High  Schools  into  school  systems,  large  and  small,  in 
all  parts  of  the  United  States  is  quite  the  opposite  of  anything 
like  a  mushroom,  overnight  development  of  faddish  theorizing; 
for  the  present  confident  setting  up  of  Junior  High  Schools  in 
many  places  is  in  reality  the  outcome  of  prolonged  discussion 
and  careful  experiment  extending  back  for  a  period  of  more 
than  two  decades.  (See  United  States  Bureau  of  Education 
Bulletin,  1916,  No.  8.)  Moreover,  data  in  the  office  of  the 
United  States  Commissioner  of  Education  and  numerous  articles 
in  the  educational  journals  and  in  city  school  reports  indicate 
that    for  at  least  five  years  various  cities  have  been  actually 


318  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

experiencing  the  benefits  claimed    for    the  Junior  High  School 
organization. 

Specifically  for  Brookhne  one  may  expect,  following  in  gen- 
eral the  indications  of  present  educational  shortcomings  as 
set  forth  in  preceding  sections  of  this  report,  that  the  proposed 
Brookline  Junior  High  School  would: 

1.  Render  smoother  the  transition  from  the  undepartmen- 
tahzed  and  undifferentiated  grades  to  the  completely  departmen- 
talized and  differentiated  Senior  High  School;  reduce  elimination 
of  pupils  from  school  and  therefore  increase  upper  grade  and  high 
school  enrollment,  and  popularize  the  extended  preparation  for 
good  citizenship  to  be  offered  in  the  Senior  High  School,  the  new 
BrookHne  High  School. 

2.  Strengthen  the  administration  of  the  beginnings  of  college 
preparatory  education  in  grades  below  the  tenth  grade. 

3.  Afford  the  opportunity  for  a  genuine  "  prevocational 
try-out"  experience  to  the  full  extent  of  the  facihties  the  school 
system  could  provide  —  such  facilities  being  far  more  easily, 
economically  and  systematically  provided  in  a  single  center  than 
when  distributed,  as  at  present,  quite  ineffectively  and  un- 
democratically  over  seven  centers.  This  involves,  of  course,  an 
improved  differentiation  of  courses  and  better  provision  for  pupil 
differences. 

4.  Make  easy  the  equalization  of  the  classes,  including  the 
foreign  language  classes,  concentrated  in  the  Junior  High  School; 
and  reduce,  or  even  wipe  out  altogether,  the  over-large  classes, 
particularly  those  exceeding  40  pupils. 

5.  Remove  the  larger  and  older  pupils  from  schools  composed 
mainly  of  younger  children,  and  bring  pupil  of  high  school  age 
under  conditions  more  hke  regular  high  school  conditions  —  and 
therefore  more  suitable  to  their  age  and  more  stimulating  to  vigor- 
ous adolescent  development  —  than  are  the  conditions  now  pre- 
vailing in  Grades  VIII  and  IX. 

6.  Accomphsh,  as  soon  as  the  school  authorities  see  fit,  the 
abolishment  of  Grade  IX  and  the  reduction  of  the  normal  period 
for  passing  from  the  beginning  of  Grade  I  to  the  diploma  of 
Brookline  High  School  from  13  years  to  12  years. 


Grades  VIII  and  IX  319 

7.  Reduce  the  over-heavy  teaching  assignments  now  imposed 
upon  certain  eighth  and  ninth  grade  teachers,  and  equalize  all 
the  assignments  of  the  teachers  in  the  Junior  High  School  organ- 
ization. 

8.  Effect  various  improvements  in  the  administration  of  the 
grades  embraced  in  the  Junior  High  School,  introducing,  for  ex- 
ample, promotion  by  subject  in  much  the  same  manner  as  such 
promotion  is  conducted  in  the  standard  American  high  school. 

9.  Co-ordinate  all  the  instruction  offered  in  the  intermediate 
level  of  the  school  system  by  the  merging  of  the  School  of  Practical 
Arts  into  the  Junior  High  School.  (See  the  chapter  on  the  School 
of  Practical  Arts.) 

10.  Furnish  to  pupils,  teachers  and  community  the  stimulus 
of  a  new,  interesting  and  progressive  composite  intermediate 
school  that  will  test  out  early  adolescent  capacities;  serve  as  an 
excellent  first  preparatory  school  for  pupils  bound  for  college; 
serve  equally  as  a  finishing  school  for  those  intending  to  enter 
emplojonent  at  the  end  of  the  ninth  or  tenth  grade;  and  also  serve, 
to  a  certain  extent,  as  an  elementary  industrial  school. 

Now  to  dictate  specifically  the  steps  to  be  followed  in  accom- 
plishing the  Junior  High  School  reorganization  here  recommended 
is  beyond  the  province  of  this  report  because,  first,  this  is  a  matter 
the  working  out  of  which  should  be  left  to  the  professional  execu- 
tives of  the  School  Committee;  and  second,  as  the  proposals  here 
submitted  contemplate  several  years  for  their  complete  accom- 
pUshment,  any  detailed  formulation  of  procedure  at  this  time 
would  be  subject  to  all  the  revision  made  advisable  or  necessary 
by  the  continuous  changes  going  on  in  any  social  situation. 
Nevertheless,  in  general  terms  some  such  action  as  the  following 
may  be  suggested : 

First.  As  soon  as  a  suitable  building  is  ready  (compare  the 
chapter  on  The  School  Plant),  bring  together,  to  form  the  Junior 
High  School,  the  pupils  of  the  present  Grade  IX,  the  pupils  of  the 
School  of  Practical  Arts,  and  some  or  all  of  the  pupils  of  Grade  X, 
the  present  high  school  first-year  class.  This  combination  will 
form  the  first  stage  of  the  new  development.  Removal  of  the 
last-named  group  of  pupils  from  the  present  high  school  building 


320  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

will  make  way  for  an  immediate  start  upon  the  splendid  new 
Brookline  High  School  (recommended  in  the  chapter  on  Build- 
ings), to  be  erected  in  two  successive  sections. 

Second.  Abolish  Grade  IX,  doing  this  in  whatever  way  will 
produce  least  disturbance  to  the  teachers  involved  and  least 
temporary  maladjustment  for  the  pupils  concerned.  Then  bring 
into  the  Junior  High  School  the  pupils  of  Grade  VIII,  who,  with 
the  pupils  of  the  new  ninth  grade  (old  tenth  or  first  year  of  high 
school),  now  presiunably  all  in  the  Junior  High  School,  will  form 
the  population  of  this  new  school  through  the  second  stage  of  its 
development. 

Third.  By  this  time  the  increase  in  the  school  enrollment, 
accompanied  by  changes. in  elementary  school  housing,  may  be 
expected  to  make  desirable  the  inclusion  of  Grade  VII  in  the 
Junior  High  School  organization;  so  that  this  school  will  then,  in 
its  final  stage,  embrace  the  seventh,  eighth  and  ninth  grades  of 
the  school  system,  leaving  to  Brookline  High  School  as  the  town's 
Senior  High  School  the  three  highest  grades,  the  tenth,  eleventh 
and  twelfth,  which  grades  will  have  grown  to  an  enrollment  much 
in  excess  of  the  enrollment  of  the  last  three  grades  of  the  system  at 
the  present  time. 

Fourth.  In  view  of  Brookline's  increasing  population,  in 
1910  amounting  to  39.4  per  cent  more  than  in  1900  and  estimated 
to  be  about  35,000  on  January  1,  1917  (State  census  for  1915 
giving  33,490),  it  is  likely  that  the  new  Brookline  High  School  will 
soon  have  a  full  house  with  the  last  three  grades  only;  and  it  will 
not  be  surprising  if  at  no  distant  date  there  arises  a  demand  for  a 
second  Junior  High  School.  Unless,  in  fact,  Brookline's  experi- 
ence in  the  next  10  years  is  altogether  different  from  that  of 
practically  all  other  progressive  cities,  she  is  certain,  if  she  intro- 
duces the  Junior  High  School  unit,  to  see  her  school  grades  from 
the  seventh  grade  up  increase  in  enrollment  at  a  much  more  rapid 
rate  than  they  have  heretofore  increased  and  also  at  a  more  rapid 
rate  than  the  population  increases. 

By  way  of  conclusion  to  this  section,  the  point  must  be  made 
that  at  least  as  much  care  should  be  exercised  in  the  selection  of 
teachers  for  a  Junior  High  School  as  is  exercised  in  securing 


Grades  VIII  and  IX  321 

Senior  High  School  teachers;  and  it  may  be  wise,  if  the  Brookline 
Junior  High  School  here  proposed  does  come  into  being,  to  have 
the  next  revision  of  the  salary  schedule  provide  for  the  teachers  of 
this  intermediate  school  a  maximum  salary  more  fairly  inter- 
mediate between  the  maximum  for  the  lower  grades  and  the  Senior 
High  School  salaries  than  is  the  present  eighth  and  ninth  grade 
maximum  of  $1000.  Any  new  requirements  formulated  to  define 
the  quahfications  for  Junior  High  School  teaching  may  by  rule  be 
made  not  operative  against  teachers  already  in  the  service  in 
Grades  VIII  and  IX  whenever  any  such  teachers  are  found  to  be 
actually,  though  perhaps  not  technically,  quaUfied  for  a  Junior 
High  assignment;  and  the  indications  are  that  in  personaUty, 
attitude  toward  pupils,  academic  and  professional  scholarship  in 
particular  hues,  and  practical  classroom  efficiency,  a  number  of  the 
present  eighth  and  ninth  grade  teachers  either  already  are  or  can 
easily  render  themselves  fully  acceptable  for  Junior  High  School 
work. 


CHAPTER  XI. 
THE  HIGH  SCHOOL. 

Various  features  of  Brookline  High  School  have  been  touched 
upon  in  other  chapters  of  this  report,  particularly  in  the  chapters 
on  School  Population,  Grades  VIII  and  IX,  and  the  School  of 
Practical  Arts.  This  important  unit  of  the  town  school  system 
will  now  be  studied  in  some  detail  under  the  five  headings:  Dis- 
tribution, Elimination  and  Graduation  of  Pupils;  Building  and 
Equipment;  Program  of  Studies  and  Curriculums;  Organization 
and  Management;  Teachers  and  Teaching. 

Distribution,  Elimination  and  Graduation  of  Pupils. 
The  United  States  seems  to  be  surely  passing  into  an  educa- 
tional era  when  secondary  education  will  become  as  universal  as 
elementary  education  is  now.  The  federal  Commissioner  of 
Education  has  officially  declared  his  expectation  of  this  result, 
citing  figures  from  the  Census  Department  and  the  Bureau  of 
Education.  When  it  is  shown  that  from  1890  to  1910  the  popula- 
tion of  the  country  increased  41  per  cent  while  the  number  of 
secondary  schools  increased  150  per  cent  and  the  number  of  second- 
ary school  pupils  increased  260  per  cent,  it  is  time  for  the  pubHc 
high  school,  as  the  predominant  and  the  democratic  secondary 
institution,  to  abandon  all  thought  of  holding  to  the  old  narrow, 
traditional,  academic  point  of  view,  and  to  assume  courageously 
the  needed  leadership  in  passing  all  the  people  on  from  universal 
literacy  to  universal  enlightenment  —  and  enlightenment  is  now 
well  understood  to  be  derivable  from  sources  other  than  the  his- 
toric classics  and  mathematics,  and  from  curriculums  other  than 
the  common  "college  preparatory  course,'^  though  these  time- 
honored  disciplines  still  have  their  place. 

Brookline  is  plainly  feeling,  in  increased  high  school  enroll- 
ment, her  participation  in  the  country-wide  growth  of  the  second- 

322 


The  High  School  323 

ary  school;  and  she  has  also  made  progress  in  expanding  the  high 
school  program  of  studies,  and  in  setting  up  new  curriculums  to  meet 
the  new  social  needs  so  manifest  in  the  community.     The  latter 
features  of  Brookline  High  School  will  be  treated  in  a  section 
below;  the  former  feature,  increased  high  school  enrollment,  was 
treated  in  the  chapter  on  the  School  Population,  where,  however, 
it  was  shown  that,   although  half  the  total  school  increase  in 
Brookhne  from   1909  to   1916  has  occurred  above  Grade  IX, 
nevertheless  this  town  is  by  no  means  in  the  front  rank  of  citieS 
in  the  proportion  of  her  high  school  enrollment  to  her  total  school 
enrollment.     Recommendations  toward  popularizing  high  school 
attendance  in  Brookline  are  presented  elsewhere  in  tliis  report, 
including  the  discontinuance  of  Grade  IX  and  the  development 
of  a  Junior  High  School.     One  point,  appropriate  to  be  here  ad- 
duced in  reference  to  the  proposed  Junior  High  School,  is  that 
the  pupils'  success  in  Brookhne  High  School,  in  subjects  begun 
now  below  the  first  high  school  year,  for  example,  Latin  and 
French,  indicates  the  complete  possibility  of  producing  in  Brook- 
hne as  smooth  and  satisfactory  an  articulation  between  Junior 
and  Senior  High  Schools  as  has  been  brought  about  in  other  cities, 
large  and  small. 

Those  recommendations  for  an  intermediate  reorganization 
were  submitted  not  only  for  the  sake  of  pupils  not  going  on  to 
college,  but  particularly  for  those  bound  for  college,  in  order  to 
reduce  their  college  preparatory  period  by  at  least  a  full  year; 
and  studies  have  been  made  of  the  age-grade  distribution  through 
the  high  school  and  also  of  the  number  of  graduates  annually 
entering  college,  to  determine  whether  Brookline  High  School 
pupils  are  in  fact  a  year  older  than  they  ought  to  be  and  how  many 
of  the  graduates  are  going  on  for  four  more  years  in  college.  The 
following  tables  show  the  distribution  of  the  pupils  of  the  years 
1915  and  1916  over  the  range  of  ages.  (Figures  supplied  by  the 
principal.) 

On  examining  these  tables,  one  first  notes  that,  as  this  record 
is  taken  in  the  autumn,  the  time  of  year  most  favorable  for  a  low 
age-grade  showing,  certainly  many,  perhaps  most,  of  these  pupils 
will  have  passed  into  the  next  higher  age  before  they  complete 


324 


School  Survey  of  Brookline 


the  grade  in  which  the  tables  place  them;  and  consequently  the 
dominant  ages  of  pupils  in  all  four  years,  according  to  both  tables, 


Age-Grade  Distribution, 

Autumn, 

1915. 

Ages  in  Years 

13 

U 

15 

Id 

17 

18 

19 

W 

31 

22 

23 

Totals 

Class 

of 

1919 

Boys 
Girls 
Totals 

4 

1 
5 

25 
19 
44 

52 

47 
99 

35 
44 
79 

13 
25 

38 

3 
4 

7 

First 

1 

1 

.  Year 

273 

Class 

of 

1918 

Boys 
Girls 
Totals 

4 
1 
5 

21 
29 
50 

34 
36 
70 

31 
21 
52 

6 
15 
21 

3 

1 
4 

1 
2 
3 

Second 

1 
1 

Vear 

206 

Class 

of 

1917 

Bovs 
Girls 
Totals 

4 
1 
5 

10 
14 
24 

28 
27 
55 

17 
24 
41 

13 

3 

16 

1 
1 
2 

Third 

Year 

143 

Class 

of 

1916 

Bovs 
Girls 
Totals 

1 
2 
3 

16 
12 

9.R 

26 
22 

48 

10 
25 
35 

4 
3 

7 

Fourth 

Year 

121 

' 

Age-Grade  Distribution, 

Autumn,   1916. 

Ages  in  Years 


First 
Year 


Class 

of 

1920 


Boys 

Girls 

Totals 


13 


U 


21 
30 
51 


15 


37 
53 
90 


16 


21 
20 
41 


17 


5 
13 


18 


19 


Totals 


202 


Second 
Year 


Class 

of 

1919 


Boys 

Girls 

Totals 


24 

28 
52 


38 
35 
73 


22 

28 
'50 


4 

9 

13 


200 


Third 
Year 


Class 

of 

1918 


Boys 

Girls 

Totals 


6 

6 

12 


19 

27 
46 


20 
32 
52 


12 

14 
26 


145 


Fourth 
Year 


Class 

of 

1917 


Boys 

Girls 

Totals 


14 
20 
34 


18 
25 
43 


13 


97 


The  High  School  325 

are  a  year  or  more  above  the  '^ normal"  age  of  14-15  for  first 
year,  15-16  for  second  year,  16-17  for  third  year,  and  17-18  for 
fourth  year.  This  fact  appears  quite  strikingly  in  the  class  just 
admitted  to  high  school,  the  class  of  1920  in  the  second  table;  for, 
of  the  202  pupils  recorded,  144  have  already  reached  the  age 
of  15  to  17  years,  while  only  58  are  14  years  old  or  younger.  The 
tables  also  show  that,  in  the  ages  above  the  normal  for  the  grade, 
it  is  often  the  girls  rather  than  the  boys  who  remain  in  school; 
for  example,  the  class  of  1917  in  the  second  table  has  35  girls  as 
against  only  26  boys  beyond  the  age  of  17. 

Another  fact  apparent  from  these  tables  is  the  extensive 
elimination  of  the  over-normal-aged  pupils  as  the  entrants  of 
each  year  pass  up  the  high  school  grades;  and  this  process  makes 
the  upper  years  show  up  not  so  badly  as  they  ought  to  appear 
from  the  point  of  view  of  over-age  of  pupils,  for  the  simple  reason 
that  a  large  proportion  of  the  over-aged  have  quit  school,  leaving 
the  fourth-year  group  a  highly  selected  class  as  to  age  as  well  as 
in  other  respects.  Consider,  for  example,  the  class  of  1919. 
In  passing  from  their  first  year  (table  of  1915)  to  their  second 
year  (table  of  1916),  the  99  pupils  of  age  15  have  fallen  off  to 
73  of  age  16,  the  79  of  age  16  have  decreased  to  50  of  age  17,  the  38 
of  age  17  have  dropped  to  13  of  age  18,  and  the  seven  of  age  18  are 
lost  entirely  from  the  column  of  age  19  in  the  second  table.  Simi- 
larly, in  the  class  of  1918,  on  passing  from  their  second  year  (table 
of  1915)  to  their  third  year  (table  of  1916),  the  70  pupils  of  age 
16  fall  off  to  52  of  age  17,  the  52  of  age  17  and  the  21  of  age  18 
drop  to  26  of  age  18  and  nine  of  age  19  respectively,  and  the  eight  of 
ages  19  to  21  disappear  altogether  from  the  columns  of  ages  20  and 
21  in  the  second  table.  Finally,  the  class  of  1917,  the  present 
graduating  class,  in  passing  from  their  third  year  (table  of  1915)  to 
their  fourth  (table  of  1916),  have  lost  (143  to  97)  46  pupils, 
a  loss  of  32  per  cent;  and  41  of  these  (28  from  age  18  to  age  19, 
plus  11  from  age  19  to  age  20,  plus  two  from  age  20  to  age  21), 
would  have  fallen  in  the  over-18  age  columns  of  the  table  of 
1916. 

The  conclusion  is  evident  that  Brookline  High  School  pupils 
are  a  year  or  more  older  than  they  ought  to  be  according  to 


326  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

"standard"  high  school  ages;  and  that,  even  though  the  town 
may  be  domg  better  than  many  other  places  in  holding  pupils 
to  graduation  (a  fact  to  be  shown  later),  nevertheless,  the  advanced 
age  of  the  upper  class  pupils  is  one  potent  factor  in  the  eUmination 
that  does  occur.  Certain  studies,  indeed,  have  produced  percent- 
ages of  "high  school  graduation  expectancy"  for  various  ages  of 
the  entering  pupils,  with  the  result  that  this  percentage  falls 
very  rapidly  as  the  age  of  the  first  year  pupils  rises;  thus  one 
study  concludes  that  of  12  to  13-year-old  entering  pupils  65  per 
cent  may  be  expected  to  be  retained  to  graduation,  of  13  to  14- 
year-olds  39  per  cent,  of  15  to  16-year-olds  29  per  cent,  and  of  16 
to  17-year  olds  only  17  per  cent.  (Irving  King,  "  The  High  School 
Age,"  page  196.)  If,  therefore,  many  pupils,  especially  boys,  can- 
not be  held  in  high  school  beyond  the  age  of  18,  and  if  a  complete 
high  school  education  is  required  for  enlightened  citizenship  and 
efficient  service,  then  manifestly  appropriate  is  the  recommenda- 
tion for  such  a  reorganization  of  the  school  system  as  will  make 
high  school  graduation  before  the  age  of  19  the  common  accom- 
plishment. 

Of  importance  also  in  connection  with  this  age-grade  inquiry 
is  the  question  of  the  number  of  Brookline  High  School  graduates 
going  annually  to  college;  for  any  reorganization  to  save  these 
students  a  year  or  more  below  college  is  an  urgent  need  in  view 
of  the  fact  that  a  considerable  proportion  of  them  have  before 
them  not  only  the  full  four-year  collegiate  course  but  also,  beyond 
that,  a  professional  course  to  pursue.  Though  the  school  should 
not  be  regarded  as  primarily  a  college  preparatory  school,  the 
number  of  graduates  going  on  to  college  is  large,  as  the  following 
table  demonstrates: 


The  High  School 


327 


Brookline  High  School  Graduates  to  College. 


Nuviber 

Number 

Number  of 

to 

Per 

Number  of 

to 

Per 

Year 

Graduates 

College 

Cent 

Year 

Graduates 

College 

Cent 

1916 

105 

39 

37.1 

1910 

71 

21       1 

29.6 

1915  to 

)    Exact 
J  not  aval 

data 

1909 

76 

31       1 

40.8 

1913 

lable 

1908 

54 

15 

27.8 

1912 

87 

37 

42.5 

1907 

59 

24 

40.7 

1911 

73 

31 

42.5 

1906 

74 

36 

48.6 

(Figures  for  1916  from  the  principal;  other  figures  from  the  annual 
school  reports.) 

From  these  figures  it  may  be  inferred  that  the  college  pre- 
paratory function  of  Brookline  High  School,  though  still  very 
important,  is  now  less  significant  in  the  fife  of  the  school  than 
it  was  formerly,  before  the  strong  development  of  the  General 
and  Com^lercial  courses  that  the  last  four  years  have  brought 
about.  Yet,  so  long  as  more  than  a  third  of  the  graduating  class 
goes  on  to  college,  the  most  economical  administration  of  college 
preparation  between  Grade  VII  and  the  end  of  the  senior  year 
of  high  school  remains,  for  these  pupils,  at  least,  as  much  as  for 
any  others,  an  urgent  desideratum. 

The  fist  of  colleges  to  which  Brookhne  graduates  have  gone 
includes  the  following  22:  Amherst,  Boston  University,  Bow- 
doin,  Bryn  Mawr,  Cornell,  Dartmouth,  Harvard,  Haverford, 
Massachusetts  Institute  of  Technology,  Mount  Holyoke,  Prince- 
ton, Radcliffe,  Simmons,  Smith,  Tufts,  University  of  Maine, 
Vassar,  Wellesley,  Wesleyan,  Williams,  Worcester  Polytechnic 
and  Yale.  And  the  reputed  success  of  the  city's  boys  and  girls 
in  this  wide  range  of  higher  institutions  speaks  well  for  the  quality 
of  their  preparation  in  Brookline  High  School. 

The  next  feature  of  the  high  school  inviting  study  is  the 
present  status  and  the  trend  of  development  in  the  distribution 
of  pupils  over  the  four  years  of  the  school  and  in  the  proportion 
of  each  entering  class  that  the  school  succeeds  in  retaining  until 
graduation.  Upon  these  aspects  of  the  American  high  school 
extensive  statistical  studies  for  the  country  as  a  whole  have  been 
made  with  the  following  results : 


328 


School  Survey  of  Brookline 


Enrollment  of  High  Schools  in  United  States. 
Distribution  by  Grades  in  Estimated  Percentages. 


In   Year 

First 
Year 

Second 
Year 

Third 
Year 

Fourth 
Year 

Total 
Per  Cent 

1913 
1912 
1911 

41.0 
41.0 
41.9 

27.0 
27.0 
26.8 

18.5 
18.5 
18.3 

13.5 
13.5 
13.0 

100 
100 
100 

High  Schools  of  United  States. 
Percentages  of  Entering  Classes  Retained  to  Graduation. 


First  Year  Class 

Graduated 

Estimated  Per 

of  the  Year 

from 

Cent  Retained 

Result 

1910-11 

1913-14 

39.1 

1909-10 

1912-13 

38.8 

37% 

1908-09 

1911-12 

39.6 

to 

1907-08 

1910-11 

37.9 

41% 

1906-07 

1909-10 

40.5 

(See  Report  of  United  States  Commissioner  of  Education,  1914,  Vol. 
II,  pages  13,  14;  1913,  Vol.  II,  pages  7,  8;  1912,  Vol.  II,  page  15.) 

Three  Special  Studies  of  Retention  to  Graduation. 


A  Given  Class 

Shrinks  Through  the 

Per  Cent  of  En- 

Studies Published 

Four  High  School 

trants  Retained  to 

in  the  Year 

Years  in  the  Ratio  of 

Graduation 

Result 

Thorndike's  1907 

27  to  8 

29.6 

25% 

Ayres's  1909 

40  to  10 

25.0 

to 

Strayer's  1911 

80  to  26 

32.5 

33% 

(See  United  States  Bureau  of  Education,  Bulletin  1916,  No.  8,  page  101.) 

Without  discussing  the  variation  between  the  Thorndike- 
Ayres-Strayer  studies  and  the  corresponding  tabulations  in  the 
commissioner's  reports,  one  may  make  an  interesting  comparison 
between  the  foregoing  figures  and  corresponding  figures  from 
Brookline  High  School  as  presented  in  the  following  table: 


The  High  School 


329 


Brookline  High  School  Membership  by  Grades 
AND  IN  Successive  Years. 


1 

1 

1 

.a 

1 
1 

Percentages  in  Each  Grade 

^25 

1^ 

2 

1 

t: 

1 

m 
m 

1916-17 

202 

200 

145 

97 

/ 

644 

31.4 

31.0 

22.5 

15.1 

1913-17 
43.7 

1915-16 

252 

190 

14/ 
/ 

112 

/ 

695 

36.3 

27.3 

20.3 

16.1 

1912-16 
57.7 

1914-15 

247 

187^ 

13/ 
/ 

88 

/ 

653 

37.8 

28.6 

20.1 

13.5 

1911-15 
45.4 

1913-14 

222^^ 

162'' 
/ 

/ 
106 

/ 

82 

572 

38.8 

28.3 

18.5 

14.4 

1910-14 
39.0 

1912-13 

m' 

148^ 
/ 

/ 
97 

87 

/ 

526 

37.0 

28.1 

18.4 

16.5 

1909-13 
46.0 

1911-12 

/ 

194 

14/ 

/ 
113 

/ 

95 

/ 

543 

35.7 

26.0 

20.8 

17.5 

1908-12 
46.3 

1910-11 

210'' 

154" 
/ 

1.6^ 
/ 

81 

/ 

561 

37.4 

27.5 

20.7 

14.4 

1907-11 
40.7 

1909-10 

189^ 

/ 

157 

/ 

99'' 
/ 

79 

524 

36.0 

30.0 

18.9 

15.1 

1906-10 
47.3 

1908-09 

205^ 

136'^ 

105^ 
/ 

83 

529 

38.8 

25.7 

19.8 

15.7 

Result 

1907-08 

199 

130 

102 

68 

499 

39.9 

26.1 

20.4 

13.6 

39% 

1906-07 

167^ 

126 

78 

63 

434 

38.5 

29.0 

18.0 

14.5 

to 

58% 

(Figures  for  1916-17  from  Principal;  for  other  years  from  School  Rep(rrts, 
number  belonging  December  or  January.) 


330  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

Here  the  columns  of  percentages  in  each  grade  show  that 
in  every  academic  year  for  the  past  11  years  the  grade  dis- 
tribution in  Brookline  High  School  has  been  better  than  that 
given  in  the  federal  table  for  the  whole  country;  for  Brookline 
has  smaller  percentages  in  the  lowest  grade,  first  year  of  high 
school,  and  larger  percentages  in  the  two  highest  grades,  third 
and  fourth  years,  a  fact  indicative  of  Brookline's  superiority  over 
many  other  cities  in  holding  a  greater  proportion  of  her  high  school 
pupils  on  into  the  graduating  class.  The  same  fact  is  brought 
out  most  strikingly  in  the  last  column,  where  it  is  seen  that,  for 
the  past  eight  years,  the  percentage  of  the  fourth  year  class 
entering  four  years  previously  (the  arrows  in  the  left-hand  columns 
facilitate  tracing  these  eight  classes  through  the  school)  ranges 
from  39  per  cent  to  58  per  cent  as  against  25  per  cent  to  33  per 
cent  in  the  Thorndike-Ayres-Strayer  computations  and  37  per 
cent  to  41  per  cent  in  the  estimates  of  the  United  States  Commis- 
sioner's Reports.  The  record  of  the  class  of  1916  is  the  most  note- 
worthy, with  a  fourth  year  class  not  much  under  60  per  cent  of 
their  entering  group  in  1912-13.  On  the  other  hand,  all  this 
good  showing  "in  the  matter  of  grade  distribution  and  retention 
to  graduation  in  no  way  contradicts  the  conclusion  reached  above 
in  reference  to  the  elimination  of  "over-age"  pupils;  and  one  sees 
for  Brookline  the  possibiHty  of  a  still  more  creditable,  and  indeed 
quite  unique,  record  in  retention  of  pupils  to  high  school  gradua- 
tion if  the  reorganization  recommended  in  this  report  is  effected. 

The  table  last  given  shows  also,  in  the  column  of  "total 
pupils,"  the  marked  increase  in  high  school  enrollment  in  the  period 
from  1906  to  the  present  time,  an  increase  of  60.1  per  cent  (434 
to  695)  to  1915-16  and  48.4  per  cent  (434  to  644)  to  the  current 
school  year,  in  which  a  doubtless  temporary  falling  off  has  ap-, 
peared.  Yet,  as  was  brought  out  in  the  chapter  on  the  School 
Population  the  Brookline  ratio  of  high  school  pupils  to  all  pupils 
in  the  school  system  is  still  by  no  means  up  to  that  attained  in 
many  other  cities  in  Massachusetts  and  elsewhere,  from  which 
even  less  might  be  expected  in  high  school  attendance  than  is 
expected  of  a  community  like  Brookline. 


The  High  School 
Distribution  by  Courses,  1916-17. 


331 


Years 

I  College 
Preparatory 
Boys    Girls 

II  College 

Technical 

Boys    Girls 

///  Technical 
Boys    Girls 

IV  General 
Boys   Girls 

V  Commer. 
Boys   Girls 

First 
Second 
Third 
Fourth 

30        39 
32        34 
19        32 
10         13 

21 
33 

27           1 
18 

16 
8 
2 
1 

16       38 
7      41 
3       30 
6      21 

10      33 

13       29 

iO      22 

8      21 

Total 

91       118 

99           1 

27 

32     130 

41     105 

209 

100 

27 

162 

146 

(Figures  from  the  principal,  as  of  November,  1916.) 

Distribution  by  Courses  for  Six  Years. 


Academic 
Year 

/ 
Col  Prep, 
formerly 
Classical 

II 

Col.  Tech. 

formerly 

Sub'Class. 

III 

Technical 

IV 

General 

V 

Commercial 

Totals 

1916-17 

209 

100 

27 

162 

146 

644 

1915-16 

204 

"V 

49 

174 

158 

695 

1914-15 

24 

173 

"-158 

142 

156 

653 

1913-14 

21 

141 

154 

105 

143 

564 

1912-13 

12 

152 

147 

101 

116 

528 

1911-12 

10 

180 

139 

93 

130 

552 

(Figures  for  1916-17  from  preceding  table;  other  figures  from  annual 
School  Reports  —  number  belonging  December  31.  I/ast  three  totals  do  not 
tally  with  totals  given  in  Table  of  Membership  by  Grades,  a  discrepancy  in 
the  records.) 

The  above  tables  present  the  distribution  of  the  high  school 
pupils  among  the  several  courses  in  the  current  academic  year 


332  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

and  the  trend  df  enrollment  by  courses  for  the  past  six  years. 
The  courses  are  now  named:  I  College  Preparatory,  II  College 
Technical,  III  Technical,  IV  General,  V  Commercial.  Prior  to  the 
curriculum  revision  Of  1915,  Course  I  was  called  the  Classical 
Course  (requiring  Greek)  and  Course  II  the  Sub-Classical  (re- 
quiring Latin). 

Here  appears  the  great  shift  of  enrollment  (indicated  by  the 
arrows)  that  occurred  in  1915  when  the  curriculum  was  revised, 
(See  below,  section  on  Program  of  Studies  and  Curriculums.)  The 
moribund  Classical  Course  prescribing  Greek  was  suddenly  re- 
juvenated into  the  present  vigorous  College  Preparatory  Course : 
in  which  Greek  appears  only  as  a  gently  expiring  elective:  many 
pupils  passed  over  from  the  Sub-Classical,  now  College-Technical, 
Course  into  the  College  Preparatory.  At  the  same  time  the 
change  of  the  Sub-Classical  Course  into  the  present  College-Tech- 
nical without  Latin  drew  many  pupils  into  this  course  from  the 
Technical,  which  is  now  the  vanishing  course.  In  fact  the  Table 
for  1916-17  shows  how  the  Technical  pupils  have  become  so  few, 
especially  above  the  first  year,  that  they  must  be  merged  into 
other  instruction  groups.  These  two  tables  therefore  furnish  a 
statistical  basis  for  the  recommendation  that,  unless  conditions 
change  very  much  in  a  short  time,  the  Technical  Course  should 
be  abandoned.  (See  below,  section  on  Program  of  Studies  and 
Curriculums;  and  compare  the  chapter  on  the  School  of  Practical 
Arts  and  the  section  on  a  Junior  High  School  in  the  chapter  on 
Grades  VIII  and  IX.)  The  second  table  also  exhibits  the  steady  . 
growth  and  stabihty  of  the  Commercial  Course  and  the  rapidly 
growing  importance  of  the  General  Course,  the  figures  in  these 
two  columns  clearly  suggesting  the  need  of  intelUgent  and  sympa- 
thetic direction  and  development  of  these  two  curriculums. 

Building  and  Equipment. 
In  the  chapter  on  the  School  Plant  the  problem  of  the  high 
school  building  is  treated  fully.  The  manifest  imperfections  of 
the  present  building  for  this  large  and  growing  school  are  clearly 
recognized  by  the  School  Committee  and  the  people  of  the  com- 
munity.    Doubtless  the  planning  and  supervision  of  the  new 


The  High  School  333 

building  will  be  entrusted  to  architects  who  are  specialists  in 
school  architecture  and  equipment.  As  long  as  present  condi- 
tions prevail,  the  school  must  endure  handicaps  ranging  from 
window  bhnds  that  prevent  the  opening  of  windows  and  rows  of 
unsightly  and  obstructive  lockers  in  classrooms,  to  such  more 
serious  housing  features  as  poor  ventilation,  utterly  inadequate 
faciUties  for  physical  education  and  gymnasium  practice,  regular 
use  of  a  room  so  inappropriate  as  to  be  styled  by  pupils  "the 
dungeon,"  and  "lunchroom  accommodations"  that  should  be, 
for  Brookline,  quite  intolerable.  Moreover,  the  present  obvious 
lack  of  proper  space  and  of  needed  administrative  equipment 
and  conveniences  in  the  principal's  office  is  interfering  seriously 
with  the  development  of  the  most  efficient  management. 

As  regards  equipment  for  the  instructional  activity  of  the 
school,  glaring  shortcomings  appear  in  the  library  and  in  part  of 
the  science  department.  All  the  more  progressive  communities 
of  the  country  have  come  to  realize  that  a  trained  Kbrarian  in 
the  high  school  library  is  worth  as  much  at  least  as  any  one  teacher. 
BrookHne  High  School  apparently  has  the  opportunity  of  entering 
into  a  co-operative  arrangement  with  the  town  Public  Library 
by  which  a  member  of  the  Library  staff  may  be  stationed  in  the 
high  school  library.  Either  in  this  way  or  by  employing  a  com- 
petent school  librarian  independently,  the  School  Committee 
ought  to  undertake  the  development  and  management  of  the 
high  school  library  in  such  wise  as  to  make  it  a  vigorously  educative 
factor  in  the  work  of  the  school.  As  to  the  science  department 
it  may  be  said  that,  whereas  the  equipment  for  Physics  and  Chem- 
istry is  probably  ample,  the  instruction  in  Physical  Geography 
seems  to  be  proceeding  in  an  almost  purely  bookish  fashion  with 
httle  or  no  illustrative  material  for  making  the  subject  concrete 
and  relating  it  to  the  physiographical  features  of  the  BrookHne 
region  and  to  the  life  experiences  of  the  pupils.  Similarly  in  the 
Biology  room  one  finds  some  very  pretty  and  convenient  equip- 
ment for  the  handhng  of  notebooks,  and  a  set  of  significantly 
clean  and  polished  tables,  but  entirely  too  few  signs  of  good  facih- 
ties,  adequate  paraphernalia,  and  objective  materials  for  making 
the  study  of  living  things  a  thoroughly  realistic  experience  for 
the  children. 


334  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

Program  of  Studies  and  Curriculums. 

Brookline's  policy  in  the  matter  of  her  high  school  program 
of  studies  and  curriculums  may  be  described  as  conservatively  pro- 
gressive. An  examination  of  the  official  Courses  of  Study 
and  the  subject  outUnes  submitted  by  the  principal  and  the  heads 
of  departments  shows  that  the  offering  of  subjects  in  the  five  cur- 
riculums ('' courses")  is  largely  in  line  with  academic  tradition  and 
the  entrance  requirements  of  the  more  conservative  colleges;  a'nd 
yet  there  appear  also  some  developments  in  the  direction  of  the 
practice  of  communities  noted  for  educational  pioneering.  Con- 
sequently, as  the  high  school  enrollment  increases,  one  may  expect 
to  see  many  new  subjects  introduced  and  a  number  of  additional 
curriculums  formulated  to  accomplish  defined  educational  ends. 
Just  what  the  future  developments  should  be,  the  developing  needs 
of  the  Brookline  community  must  determine;  but  the  important 
thing  to  be  realized  now  is  that,  although  the  high  school  may 
have  hitherto  presented  as  much  in  the  way  of  curriculum  offering 
as  seemed  necessary  or  expedient,  that  offering,  judged  by  the 
best  present-day  standards,  is  neither  very  extensive  nor  notably 
liberal. 

The  first  specific  point  to  be  considered  in  reference  to  the 
high  school  program  and  curriculums  is  the  effect  to  follow  from  the 
establishment  of  the  Junior  High  School  this  report  recommends 
and  the  possible  merging  of  the  School  of  Practical  Arts  into  the 
new  intermediate  school,  if  either  of  these  steps  should  be  taken. 
Obviously  the  new  ninth  grade  in  the  proposed  Junior  High  School 
would  be  made  to  preserve  all  the  essential  features  of  the  present 
first  year  of  all  five  high  school  curriculums.  The  new  organization 
could,  and  doubtless  would,  be  worked  out  so  as  also  to  improve 
the  curricular  articulation  between  the  grades  a,nd  Brookline  High 
School,  rather  than  produce  any  new  disjointedness.  An  im- 
mediate improvement  would  be  effected  in  the  connection  in  French 
and  in  Latin.  At  present  there  is  an  awkward  ''optional  French" 
in  the  College  Preparatory  Course,  scheduled  for  two  periods  a 
week  in  the  first  year  and  three  periods  in  the  second  year,  for 
pupils  who  began  French  in  the  grammar  grades,  these  two  half- 
units  serving  to  continue  French  from  Grade  IX  and  bring  the 


The  High  School  335 

pupils  up  to  the  point  where  at  the  beginning  of  the  present  third 
high  school  year  they  may  be  classified  with  pupils  who  had  simply 
one  year  of  French  in  the  high  school  itself  at  five  periods  per 
week.  This  awkward  arrangement  would  be  unnecessary,  and 
might  be  at  once  discontinued,  when  a  direct  transition  could  be 
made  from  the  Junior  High  School  ninth  grade  to  the  first  year  of 
a  three-year  Senior  High  School,,  the  new  tenth  grade  correspond- 
ing to  the  present  eleventh  grade  or  second  year  of  high  school. 
Again,  there  is  in  Latin  at  present  a  special  "beginning  Latin" 
class  offered  in  the  high  school  first  year  for  pupils  who  have  not 
previously  studied  Latin;  and,  in  order  to  have  this  group  join 
the  ''regular"  Latin  pupils  (those  who  had  Latin  in  Grade  IX) 
at  the  beginning  of  the  second  year,  a  double  time  allowance  is 
put  upon  the  subject,  an  arrangement  that  forces  these  ''irregular" 
pupils  to  do  practically  two  years  of  Latin  in  one  year  and  that 
their  first  year  in  high  school.  This  "Latin  IV  D"  obviously 
constitutes  a  vigorous  experience  for  those  first  year  unfortunates 
who  did  not  take  Grade  IX  Latin  or  who  have  just  come  into 
BrookUne,  but  who  desire  to  study  Latin  in  high  school.  More- 
over, when  the  number  of  pupils  presenting  themselves  to  form 
this  special  Latin  class  is  small,  no  class  is  organized  (as  happened 
in  Septbemer,  1916);  and  then  follows  the  undesirable  result 
that  Latin  cannot  be  begun  in  Brookhne  High  School,  even  pupils 
in  the  General  Course,  preparing  for  normal  school,  being  precluded 
from  taking  Latin.  This  point  of  awkwardness  in  the  program 
of  studies  should  be  corrected;  so  that,  whether  or  not  a  general 
reorganization  to  Junior  and  Senior  High  School  plan  is  under- 
taken, pupils  may,  without  the  penalty  of  doing  double  time, 
begin  Latin  in  the  high  school  and  have  at  least  three  years  of 
elective  Latin  open  to  them  under  conditions  made  just  as 
"regular"  as  is  the  offering  of  three  years  of  German  or  French 
begun  in  the  present  second  year. 

As  to  the  scope  of  the  educational  offering  in  the  BrookHne 
High  School  program  of  studies  (the  whole  range  of  subjects, 
prescribed  and  elective),  it  may  be  said  that,  besides  a  limited 
amount  of  work  in  Art,  Music,  and  Physical  Training,  the  school 
affords  opportunities  for  a  number  of  year-courses  in  all  seven  of 


336       .  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

the  major  fields  of  secondary  school  study,  English,  Foreign 
Language,  Social  Science,  Natural  Science,  Mathematics,  Com- 
mercial Branches  and  Manual  Arts.  The  limitation  of  the  work 
in  physical  education  is,  as  noted  elsewhere  in  this  report,  pri- 
marily due  to  the  imperfect  housing  of  the  school  and  the  lack  of 
adequate  gymnasium  facilities.  Moreover,  it  must  be  recorded 
that,  although  the  school  is  not  predominantly  a  college  pre- 
paratory institution,  as  the  growing  importance  of  the  General 
Course  and  the  Commercial  Course  amply  demonstrates,  never- 
theless the  college  influence  is  permitted  to  warp  some  of  the  work 
out  of  the  line  of  development  likely  to  be  most  beneficial  to  the 
non-college-preparatory  pupils;  for  example,  the  course  called 
''Junior  Chemistry,"  which  was  ''intended  to  correlate  with 
Domestic  Science  and  daily  life,"  has  been  "forced  to  do  college 
preparatory  work."  Again,  in  the  course  in  Mathematics  a 
large  proportion  of  the  time  in  the  two  upper  years,  especially 
in  the  third  year,  is  given  up  to  reviews  upon  college  preparatory 
work  and  to  quite  frankly  acknowledged  coaching  for  the  college 
entrance  examinations  to  be  taken  at  the  end  of  the  third  and 
fourth  years;  so  that  desirable  advances  in  the  study  of  Mathe- 
matics, for  example,  into  the  field  of  Trigonometry  and  even  the 
elements  of  Analytic  Geometry  (to  gain,  for  one  thing,  a  more 
perfect  understanding  of  graph  work),  are  prevented  by  this  sub- 
servience to  the  colleges.  Manifestly,  at  these  points  and  at  any 
other  points  of  similar  maladjustment,  a  readjustment  should  be 
effected  so  as,  if  possible,  not  to  sacrifice  the  interests  of  any  group 
of  pupils,  particularly  if  the  needs  of  a  larger  number  of  non-college- 
bound  pupils  were  neglected  in  favor  of  the  demands  of  a  smaller 
body  of  college  preparatory  pupils.  Upon  this  whole  question 
of  the  fulfillment  of  college  entrance  requirements,  all  New  Eng- 
land and  the  East  in  general  can  learn  much  from  the  Middle 
West  and  the  Far  West  in  the  way  of  educating  the  colleges  up  to 
the  acceptance  of  any  good  high  school  graduation  requirements. 
In  reference  to  the  particular  units  of  work  in  the  various 
subjects  offered  through  the  four  years,  one  not^s  for  commenda- 
tion the  progressiveness  shown  in  the  revision  of  part  of  the  offer- 
ing in  the  Department  of  Social  Science  so  as  to  emphasize  Modern 


I 


The  High  School  337 

History  and  the  study  of,  or  at  least  preparation  for  the  study  of, 
present-day  problems;  although  certainly  the  new  combined 
United  States  History  and  Civics  should  be  given  five  periods 
a  week  instead  of  only  four.  Shortages,  however,  appear  in  this 
department,  in  that  no  Industrial  History  and  no  Economics 
are  offered  the  pupils  of  the  school  except  the  Economics  Usted 
with  Business  Law  in  the  Commercial  Course;  and  it  would  seem 
also  incumbent  upon  the  Social  Science  Department  to  sub- 
stitute Commercial  and  Economic  Geography  for  the  Physical 
Geography  now  prescribed  in  the  second  year  of  the  Commercial 
Course.  Another  development  worthy  of  commendation  is  the 
differentiation  of  content  undertaken  in  certain  subjects,  for 
example,  in  Enghsh  and  in  Natural  Science,  to  meet  the  needs 
of  different  classes  of  pupils  —  ''Commercial  English"  for  the 
Commercial  classes  versus  the  traditional  academic  or  college 
preparatory  English,  and  General  Course  Physics  versus  the 
college  preparatory  Physics.  On  the  other  hand,  it  is  disappoint- 
ing to  find  no  indication  of  differentiated  treatment  of  the  subject 
matter  of  first  and  second-year  Mathematics,  although  the 
number  of  recitation  classes  in  both  Algebra  and  Geometry  (five 
sections  of  each)  is  sufficient  to  afford  ample  opportunity  for 
interesting  differentiations  here;  for  example,  at  least  one  section 
of  each  of  these  years  in  Mathematics  might  be  devoted  to  some- 
thing like  the  ''composite"  or  "co-ordinated"  Mathematics 
of  the  School  of  Education  High  School  of  the  University  of 
Chicago,  now  attracting  much  attention  (compare  also  the  work 
of  Evans  and  Marsh  in  Boston),  and  such  correlated  Mathematics 
would  seem  to  be  particularly  appropriate  to  the  General  Course 
—  indeed,  at  least  one  unit  of  such  Mathematics  might  with 
advantage  be  prescribed  in  that  course,  as  will  be  shown  later. 

Other  shortcomings  of  the  Brookhne  High  School  program 
of  studies,  in  comparison  with  the  more  progressive  and  more 
comprehensive  programs  found  in  corresponding  schools  else- 
where, appear  in  German,  Community  Civics,  General  Science, 
Physiology,  and  Latin.  The  school  offers  only  three  years  of 
German  alongside  of  four  years  of  French;  but  there  seems  to 
be  quite  as  much  reason  for  four  years  of  the  one  as  of  the  other. 


338  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

and,  in  fact,  the  opportunity  to  get  four  years  of  German  ought 
to  be  afforded  in  the  Technical  Course  and  the  Commercial 
Course,  if  in  no  others.  Two  new  secondary  subjects  known  as 
Community  Civics  and  General  Science  are  being  introduced 
into  many  school  programs,  generally  in  the  first  year  of  a  four- 
year  high  school  or  in  the  Junior  High  School;  and  Brookline 
may  well  consider  adding  both  these  to  her  secondary  educational 
offering  —  the  latter  subject,  indeed,  General  Science,  may  be 
made  to  serve  admirably  as  an  enlightening  forerunner  of  the  study 
of  the  special  sciences  of  Biology,  Physiography,  Physics  and 
Chemistry.  The  shortcoming  in  Physiology  is  seen  in  the  cir- 
cumstance that  the  only  Physiology  taught  in  the  school  consists 
of  a  minor  part  of  the  first-year  Biology,  a  subject  not  listed  in 
all  the  curriculums  and  occurring  in  part  only  as  an  elective  where 
it  is  listed;  yet  Physiology  should  be  an  inseparable  correlate 
of  the  instruction  and  practice  in  Physical  Training  given  to  all 
the  pupils  of  the  school.  Finally,  as  to  Latin,  it  may  be  asserted 
that  Brookline  High  School  offers  both  too  much  and  too  little 
Latin.  A  complete  secondary  course  in  Latin,  covering  four 
years,  more  or  less,  is  now  generally  regarded  as  college  preparatory 
work;  and,  consequently,  a  public  high  school  need  not  make 
its  Latin  offering  more  extensive,  and  therefore  more  expensive, 
than  the  fulfillment  of  the  college  entrance  assignment  in  Latin, 
usually  only  the  beginners'  book,  Caesar's  "  Gallic  War  "  I-IV, 
six  orations  of  Cicero,  Virgil's  ^'Aeneid  "  I-VI,  and  the  four  years 
of  accompanying  Grammar  and  Prose  Composition.  Brookline, 
however,  in  her  five  years  of  Latin,  beginning  with  the  present 
Grade  LX,  offers  considerably  more  than  the  standard  four-unit 
college  entrance  requirement  in  Latin,  as  the  report  of  the  head 
of  the  Classics  Department  clearly  shows.  On  the  other  hand, 
it  can  be  argued  that  the  pupils  have  offered  to  them  too  little 
Latin:  first,  because,  as  was  shown  above,  it  is  difficult  and  in 
some  years  impossible  to  begin  Latin  in  Brookline  High  School; 
and  second,  because  the  school  has  not  yet  worked  out  a  one-year 
or  two-year  non-college-preparatory  course  in'  ''Latin  for  Eng- 
lish," a  highly  enlightening  form  of  Latin  study  to  be  sharply 
differentiated    from    the    traditional    Latin,    defined    in    college 


The  High  School  339 

admission  statements.  Brookline  High  School  could  very  readily 
undertake  the  development  of  this  proposed  special  Latin,  here 
called  "Latin  for  English, "  and  in  doing  so  she  would  be  creating 
a  new  and  valuable  addition  to  the  subjects  of  her  curriculums  and 
at  the  same  time  be  making  a  real  contribution  to  secondary 
education. 

So  much  having  been  said  about  the  studies  forming  the 
whole  program  of  the  high  school,  the  five  organized  curriculums, 
officially  called  "Courses  of  Study,"  must  now  receive  considera- 
tion. '  These  five  curriculums,  named  the  College  Preparatory 
Course,  the  College  Technical  Course,  the  Technical  Course, 
the  General  Course  and  the  Commercial  Course,  represent  the 
town's  effort  to  guide  the  high  school  boys  and  girls  through  four 
years  of  well  planned  study  to  the  outcomes  of  preparation  for: 
first,  successful  admission  to  college  (Courses  I  and  II);  second, 
skilled  manual  industry  (Course  III) ;  third,  admission  to  normal 
school  or  "entrance  into  life"  (Course  IV);  and  fourth,  com- 
mercial pursuits  (Course  V).  Obviously  the  first  of  these  pur- 
poses is  the  most  definite,  the  most  surely  attainable,  and  the 
least  in  need  of  comment  in  this  report,  so  long  as  conditions  in 
the  matter  of  going  to  college  remain  as  they  now  are,  particularly 
in  New  England.  If  one  wants  to  enter  Harvard  or  "Tech," 
he  must  perforce  fulfill  the  prescribed  entrance  requirement, 
whether  or  not  the  performance  of  that  task  constitutes  a  reason- 
able and  educative  experience;  and  the  Brookline  school  authori- 
ties may  be  trusted  to  have  Courses  I  and  II  always  conforming 
to  the  Harvard  and  Technology  prescriptions.  Course  III,  the 
Technical  Course,  presents,  since  the  great  shift  of  pupils'  elec- 
tions in  1915,  a  puzzhng  situation,  as  was  shown  in  a  preceding 
section  of  this  chapter;  so  that,  unless  the  enrollment  in  this 
curriculum  can  be  built  up,  the  Technical  Course  might  just  as 
well  disappear  from  the  printed  program,  in  correspondence  with 
its  disappearance  from  the  school.  On  the  other  hand,  as  is 
recommended  elsewhere  in  this  report  (cf.  chapter  on  School  of 
Practical  Arts),  the  Technical  curriculum  might  be  taken  over 
into  the  part  of  the  proposed  Junior  High  School  that  would 
absorb  the  School  of  Practical  Arts. 


340  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

Course  V,  the  Commercial  Course,  may  be  examined  from 
the  points  of  view  of  (1)  particular  subjects  pursued,  (2)  lines 
of  advantageous  development,  and  (3)  arrangements  to  provide 
pupils  with  practical  experience.  As  this  is  professedly  a  voca- 
tional curriculum,  so  understood  and  elected  by  the  pupils, 
the  list  of  subjects  prescribed  or  offered  electively  as  elements 
of  a  general  education,  alongside  the  specifically  commercial 
branches,  need  not  include  subjects  special  to  other  lines  of  partic- 
ular educational  preparation  and  should  include  as  many  general 
culture  subjects  as  can  be  conveniently  presented.  Applying  this 
principle,  one  may  make  several  such  changes  as  Science  or 
European  History  in  place  of  the  prescribed  first-year  Science, 
Geography  or  Modern  History  in  place  of  the  prescribed 
second-year  Physical  Geography,  and  English  History  or  Science 
in  place  of  the  prescribed  third-year  History.  In  this  connec- 
tion, however,  consideration  may  with  advantage  be  given  to 
the  suggestion  offered  above,  that  Commercial  Course  pupils 
may  derive  more  benefit  from  a  year  of  General  Science  and  a  year 
of  Commercial  and  Economic  Geography  than  from  the  Biology 
and  Physical  Geography  now  prescribed  for  them.  It  is  good 
to  see  in  this  curriculum  the  Algebra  dropped  down  into  the 
elective  group  of  studies;  and  no  harm,  and  perhaps  some  good 
would  come  from  adding  Geometry  to  the  second-year  electives. 
It  is  also  a  mark  of  high  school  progressiveness  to  see  no  foreign 
language  prescribed  for  these  pupils;  but  it  would  certainly  im- 
prove the  curriculum  to  offer  German  alongside  French  through 
all  four  years,  and  thus  make  possible  a  four-year  course  in  Ger- 
man. As  to  the  lines  of  advantageous  development  for  the 
Commercial  Course,  one  sees  the  beginnings  of  a  desirable  dif- 
ferentiation in  the  present  third-year  and  fourth-year  alterna- 
tives presented  in  "Advanced  Bookkeeping  and  Banking  or 
Stenography  and  Typewriting"  and  ''Business  Law  and  Eco- 
nomics or  Stenography  and  Typewriting."  With  this  as  a  point 
of  departure,  the  curriculum  should  be  developed,  as  the  en- 
rollment grows,  into  a  threefold  differentiation  (possibly  even  three 
fairly  distinct  curriculums  that  might  be  named  the  Accounting, 
^  the  Secretarial,  and  the  Merchandising  Courses).   The  time  may 


The  High  School  341 

come,  too,  when  the  introduction  of  unified  two-year  curriculums 
(for  example,  the  short  Clerkship  Course)  may  be  demanded 
if  a  curriculum  of  this  character  is  not  provided  in  a  Junior  High 
School.  As  to  arrangements  for  providing  practical  experience 
for  Commercial  Course  pupils,  it  seems  that  little  or  nothing 
has  been  accomphshed  thus  far.  Yet  this  is  just  the  direction 
in  which  something,  even  though  not  a  great  deal,  needs  to  be 
done  if  these  pupils  are  to  be  prepared  to  take  positions  with 
confidence  and  actual  acquaintance  with  real  work,  as  soon  as 
they  are  graduated.  Consequently,  in  the  fourth  year,  if  not 
earlier,  '' co-operative"  arrangements  should  be  worked  out  to 
place  commercial  seniors  at  actual  part-time  work  in  office,  stores, 
or  elsewhere,  in  order  to  provide  them  with  the  genuine  experi- 
ence they  need  to  get.  Much  of  good  may  accrue  to  some  of 
these  pupils  from  being  placed  right  in  the  offices  of  the  city 
school  system  itself,  in  the  high  school,  in  the  larger  elementary 
schools,  and  in  the  Superintendent's  office;  and  at  those  posts 
they  might  render  valuable  assistance  not  only  with  correspond- 
ence but  also  with  records,  statistics,  reports,  and  in  the  general 
improvement  of  the  business  side  of  school  keeping  in  Brookline. 
The  General  Course,  Course  IV,  is  in  some  respects,  in 
Brookhne  and  elsewhere,  the  most  interesting  curriculum  of  the 
school  and  the  curriculum  most  fraught  with  possibilities  for  the 
personal  awakening  and  the  educational  development  of  high 
school  boys  and  girls.  This  curriculum,  of  course,  should  be 
advised  for  all  pupils  who  enter  high  school  without  clearly 
defined  purposes,  and  who  therefore  are  to  undergo  here,  con- 
sciously or  unconsciously,  with  or  without  aid  and  guidance, 
more  or  less  of  a  "self-discovery  experience,"  more  or  less  of  a 
" prevocational  try-out"  even  though  mainly  in  academic  fines. 
Consequently,  this  curriculum  should  be  made  as  rich  as  possible 
in  educative  opportunities,  while  at  the  same  time  it  is  con- 
structed upon  principles,  and  controlled  by  a  prescription  of 
studies,  justified  by  the  best  current  educational  philosophy. 
Examined  from  this  point  of  view,  Brookfine's  present  General 
Course  both  merits  commendation  and  requires  some  revision. 
The  construction    of   the   curriculum  exempfifies   the   principle 


342  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

of  concentration  in  the  requirement  of  four  continuous  years  of 
work  .in  three  fields  of  study,  with  English  as  a  constant;  the 
principle  of  distribution  in  the  requirement  that  the  pupils'  study 
through  each  year  shall  be  distributed  over  four  of  the  broad 
subject  fields;  and  the  principles  of  election,  alongside  of  pre- 
scription, and  attention  to  individual  interest  in  the  array  of  elec- 
tives  offered  throughout  the  curriculum.  Commendable  and 
also  distinctly  progressive  are  the  features  of  no  prescribed  foreign 
language  and  of  soHd  attainments  in  Natural  Science  and  Social 
Science.  On  the  other  hand,  although  the  traditional  Algebra 
and  Geometry  have  been  happily  confined  to  the  elective  fist,  it 
is  exceedingly  questionable  whether  General  Course  pupils  should 
be  permitted  to  pass  through  high  school  without  having  taken 
some  Mathemati-cs.  Here,  therefore,  is  a  place  where  the  in- 
troduction of  at  least  one  year  of  the  new  ''composite,"  ''co- 
ordinated," or  "correlated"  Mathematics  as  an  additional  pre- 
scribed item  may  be  strongly  recommended;  for  axiom,  formula, 
equation,  theorem,  proposition,  proof,  unknown  quantity, 
negative  number,  variable,  graph,  and  other  similar  concepts, 
and  a  definite  appreciation  of  and  some  actual  experience  with 
the  rigorous  methods  of  secondary  Mathematics,  are  elements 
of  a  liberal  education  that  no  high  school  graduate  should  have 
missed.  In  the  matter  of  electives,  also,  the  point  can  be  made 
that  the  General  Course  should  offer  practically  everything 
found  in  the  w^hole  program  of  studies  except  technical  subjects 
leading  to  specific  goals.  Thus,  for  example,  these  pupils  should 
have  the  opportunity  of  getting  four  years  of  German,  Mathe- 
matics II  and  I  (the  Mathematics  of  years  three  and  four),  print- 
ing as  a  form  of  Manual  Training  or  an  art  correlating  with 
Enghsh,  and  by  all  means  the  elements  of  account  keeping, 
even  if  a  new  unit  different  from  the  present  Introductory  Book- 
keeping has  to  be  developed.  Moreover,  as  the  school  grows, 
and  new  subjects  are  added  to  the  program  of  studies,  these 
may  always  with  propriety  appear  somewhere  in  the  General 
curriculum,  just  so  long  as  they  are  meant  to  be  elements  of 
liberal  education  or  instrumentahties  for  trying  out  pupils' 
abilities  and  aptitudes.     The  ultimate  outcome  of  this  process 


The  Htgh  School  343 

will  very  likely  be  the  expansion  of  the  General  Course,  at  least 
above  the  first  year,  into  several  more  or  less  distinct  curriculums, 
having  differentiated  objectives. 

Finally,  in  reference  to  all  five  of  the  present  formulated 
curriculums  and  any  other  ''courses"  that  may  be  set  up,  it  can 
be  remarked  that  just  as  rapidly  as  there  grows  in  the  field  of 
secondary  teaching  the  conceptions  of  youth  as  the  period  for 
"finding  one's  self"  and  of  the  secondary  school  as  society's 
principal  organized  agency  for  facilitating  this  self-discovery, 
so  rapidly  will  become  established  in  the  minds  of  school  officials, 
teachers,  and  parents,  the  notion  that  all  curriculums,  except  those 
specifically  vocational  in  character,  should  be  regarded  as  sug~ 
gestions  rather  than  prescriptions  and  administered  in  no  rigid 
and  inflexible  manner,  but  with  full  regard  to  the  continuous, 
readjustment  of  educational  means  to  the  developing  and  changing, 
needs  of  adolescence. 

High  School  Shop  Work. 

When  the  Brookline  school  authorities  provided  the  splendid 
Manual  Training  equipment  in  the  Manual  Training  High  School, 
it  was  not  anticipated  that  a  diminishing  number  of  boys  each 
year  would  elect  Manual  Training  courses.  This,  however,  has 
proved  to  be  the  fact.  In  the  fall  of  1916  there  were  but  three 
boys  taking  Forging,  10  Machine  Shop  Practice,  73  Mechanical 
Drawing,  18  boys  and  16  girls  Art  Metal  Work,  76  Cabinet  Making, 
Wood  Turning,  Pattern  Making,  and  Foundry.  The  total  number 
of  boys  taking  Manual  Training  courses  is  about  117.  This  is 
a  small  proportion  of  the  boys  attending  the  high  school  and, 
according  to  the  statements  of  the  shop  instructors,  a  much 
smaller  number  than  formerly  took  Manual  Training.  The 
upper  classes  have  diminished  in  larger  proportion  than  have  the 
lower  classes.  The  drawings  on  pages  384  and  ^85  show  the 
extent  to  which  the  shops  are  being  used  by  the  high  school  and 
the  School  of  Practical  Arts. 

The  high  school  is  appealing  to  the  College  Preparatory  and 
Commercial  pupils,  but  the  boy  who  wants  industrial  training  of 
general  or  of  specific  type  is  not  attending  the  high  school.     Two 


344  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

reasons  suggest  themselves.  First,  aside  from  commercial  train- 
ing, the  high  school  is  laying  special  emphasis  on  college  prepara- 
tion and  not  upon  finishing  courses  for  pupils  who  must  soon  enter 
employment.  Second,  the  Manual  Training  courses  do  not  appeal 
to  the  boy  as  adequate  industrial  training. 

The  aim  of  the  shop  courses  is  decidedly  cultural  and  in- 
formational. Practically  no  evidence  of  industrial  training  is  to 
be  found.  With  one  or  two  exceptions,  the  work  is  taught  on 
the  formal  exercise  basis.  This  type  of  work  will  not  satisfy  the 
boy  who  is  looking  for  industrial  training. 

If  the  shop  equipment  in  the  high  school  is  to  serve  a  larger 
group  than  it  does  at  present,  two  things  must  be  done.  In- 
dustrial work  of  a  worth-while  type  should  be  given  to  the  pupils 
in  the  grades  below  the  high  school,  and  more  practical  and 
more  varied  shop  courses  should  be  introduced  in  the  high  school. 
The  pupils  who  enter  the  high  school  at  present  have  not  had  the 
sort  of  contact  with  practical  shop  activities  that  would  give 
them  an  appreciation  of  this  kind  of  work.  As  pointed  out  in 
the  discussion  on  the  School  of  Practical  Arts,  the  organization 
•of  a  Junior  High  School  would  make  it  possible  for  a  large  group 
of  boys  to  become  interested  in  mechanical  processes.  The 
Practical  Arts  Course  in  the  Junior  High  School  would  be  con- 
tinued in  the  Senior  High  School  w^ith  general  or  specific  trade 
training  in  the  first  part  of  the  course  and  technical  training  in 
the  last  two  years.  This  plan  would  give  practical  training  to 
the  boy  who  cannot  remain  for  the  completion  of  the  course. 
The  boy  who  does  complete  the  course  would  have  the  further 
advantage  of  a  technical  training  based  on  the  previous  industrial 
training. 

Practical  shop  courses  would  involve  quantity  production 
turned  out  on  an  industrial  basis.  This  w^ould  apply  to  the  wood- 
working, metal  working,  printing,  and  other  trades  that  may 
he  introduced.  The  need  for  a  large  forge  shop  is  questionable. 
It  is  recommended  that  the  greater  part  of  the  equipment  be 
disposed  of  and  the  remainder  be  placed  with  the  machine  shop 
equipment.  In  the  opinion  of  the  committee,  the  forge  work 
that  will  function  to  best  advantage  could  be  taught  in  the  ma- 


I 


The  High  School  345 

chine  shop.  If  a  few  modifications  were  made,  the  machine 
equipment  might  replace  part  of  the  forge  equipment  in  the 
present  forge  shop,  or  a  small  part  of  the  forge  equipment  could 
be  installed  in  the  present  machine  shop.  The  foundry  practice 
could  be  taught  to  best  advantage  during  the  Pattern  Making 
course  rather  than  as  a  separate  unit  following  this  course.  A 
small  part  of  the  present  foundry  equipment  would  answer  the 
purpose.  If  the  remainder  of  the  foundry  equipment  should 
be  placed  in  the  Junior  High  School,  then,  by  making  a  few  simple 
changes  in  the  room,  the  Pattern  Making  shop  could  be  located 
in  the  present  foundry.  These  suggestions  are  made  with  the 
aim  of  grouping  the  processes  in  proper  relation  to  each  other, 
and  at  the  same  time  to  provide  space  for  the  introduction  of 
additional  activities.  These  recommendations  are  similar  to 
those  made  in  connection  with  the  School  of  Practical  Arts. 

Organization  and  Management. 

The  discussion  of  the  organization  and  management  of 
Brookhne  High  School  may,  for  the  purposes  of  this  report,  be 
handled  under  the  heads  of :  The  relations  of  principal  and  faculty, 
the  departmental  organization,  the  size  and  composition  of  classes, 
the  general  discipline  of  the  school,  the  assignments  of  work  to 
teachers,  and  the  organization  as  affecting  high  school  costs. 

As  far  as  the  observations  of  the  members  of  the  Survey 
Committee  warrant  a  judgment  upon  the  relations;  personal  and 
professional,  subsisting  between  the  principal  and  his  faculty 
and  among  the  members  of  the  faculty,  these  relations  may  be 
characterized  as  excellent.  Nothing  was  found,  or  presented 
by  any  one  connected  with  the  school,  to  indicate  any  lack  of 
good  esprii  de  corps.  The  five  regularly  appointed  heads  of 
departments  act  as  official  intermediaries  between  the  head 
master  and  the  assistant  teachers  in  the  definitely  organized 
departments;  and  the  head  master  himself  holds  conferences  of, 
and  issues  instructions  to,  the  groups  of  teachers  in  subject  fields 
not  officially  organized  into  departments.  Furthermore,  all 
the  teachers,  individually  or  in  groups,  have  at  all  times  easy 
access  not  only  to  their  heads  of  departments  but  also  to  the 


346  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

head  master,  for  consultation,  advice,  and  assistance;  and  it  is 
reported  that  such  individual   and  group   conferences   are  fre- 
quently held,  especially  for  the  consideration  of  particular  prob- 
lems —  for  example,  early  in  the  year  a  conference  of  the  teachers 
of  first-year  classes  will  be  called.     On  the  other  hand,  the  policy 
of   dispensing  with   general   faculty  meetings  is   quite   open  to 
question.     There  is,   indeed,    one   faculty   conference   each  year 
according  to  the  principal's  report;  when,  on  the  day  before  the 
opening  in  September,  a  full  faculty  meeting  is  called  to  present 
the  organization  of    the    school    for    the    year    and    distribute 
to  the  teachers  their  individual  program  cards.     But  that  other 
faculty  meetings  through  the  year,  particularly  if  held  at  regular 
intervals  (as  monthly)   should  be  found  useless  and  boring  to 
all  in  attendance  is  a  possible  but  by  no  means  a  necessary  conse- 
quence.    One  of  the  greatest  problems  in  high  school  adminis- 
tration, as  soon  as  the  school  grows  to  a  size  requiring  more  than 
half  a  dozen  teachers,  is  the  problem  of  unifying  the  faculty, 
of   preventing  the   teachers   from   becoming   relatively   narrow, 
and  almost  absolutely  isolated  subject  specialists;    and  under 
the  departmental  organization  of  the  large  high  school  there  is 
need  of  special  effort  to  keep  the  faculty  together  for  just  that 
teamwork  which  the  individual  teacher  is  prone  to  neglect  even 
while  preaching  the  observance  of  it  to  the  pupils.     The  high 
school  faculty  meeting  can  be  made  to  promote  the  unifying 
of  the  faculty   (as   a  recent  significant   Cincinnati  report  sets 
forth)  by  creating  in  the  teachers  a  hvely  consciousness  of  common 
general  aims  in  the  whole  work  of  the  school;  by  showing  how 
every  teacher  can  have  some  participation  in  the  general  manage- 
ment of  the  school;  by  having  all  teachers  get  a  knowledge  of, 
and  an  interest  in,  each  other's  work,  by  setting  up    lines    of 
direct   co-operation   in   instruction   and   classroom   government; 
by  bringing  about  the  employment  in  common  of  some  features 
of  good  technique  of  the  recitation;  and  by    being,    therefore, 
developed  eventually  from  '' routine  faculty  meetings"  into  im- 
portant professional  conferences. 

In  the  matter  of  the  departmental  organization  of  the  school, 
appropriate  questions  are :  What  determines  the  formal  designa- 


The  High  School  347 

tion  of  a  department  and  the  appointment  of  an  official  head  of 
department;  what  present  heads  of  departments,  if  any,  are 
unnecessary  and,  on  the  contrary,  what  departments  should  be 
formally  organized;  and  what  are  the  duties  and  activities  of  the 
heads  of  departments  as  such?  The  "Rules  of  the  School  Commit- 
tee" (1914)  give  no  directions  for  organizing  a  high  school  depart- 
ment although  as  conditions  in  Brookhne  High  School  now  are  it 
might  be  proper  to  have  a  rule  to  the  effect  that  a  department  may 
be  organized  when,  and  continued  as  long  as,  the  number  of 
teachers  in  a  given  subject  or  field  of  work  is  not  fewer  than  three 
and  the  number  of  periods  of  class  instruction  in  this  subject  or 
field  is  not  under  60  periods  per  week.  At  present  there  are  nine 
subjects  or  subject  fields  employing  three  or  more  teachers  each, 
as  follows:  Enghsh,  six  teachers;  Modern  Languages,  five;  Natural 
Science,  four;  Mathematics,  four;  Commercial  Branches,  four; 
Social  Science,  three;  Classical  Languages,  three;  Manual  Arts, 
three;  and  Household  Arts,  three.  Of  these,  five  are  officially  or- 
ganized departments  with  departmental  heads,  namely:  Enghsh, 
Natural  Science,  Mathematics,  Commercial  Branches,  Classics; 
so  that,  while  the  departmental  group  involving  next  to  the 
largest  number  of  teachers.  Modern  Languages,  with  five  teachers, 
is  unorganized,  one  of  those  at  the  lower  end  of  the  fist,  the  three- 
teacher  groups,  is  organized  as  the  Classical  Language  Depart- 
ment. Very  Hkely  there  was  a  time  when  the  amount  of  work 
in  the  Classics  was  sufficient  to  employ  more  than  three  teachers. 
Now,  however,  whether  or  not  the  continuance  of  the  Classics 
Department  should  set  up  a  presumption  that  also  Social  Science, 
Manual  Arts,  and  Domestic  Arts  Departments  ought  to  be 
officially  formed,  nevertheless  it  is  certainly  a  fact  that  a  Modern 
Language  Department  could  be  organized  with  advantage  to 
the  school;  and  it  may  be  said  that  here,  with  five  teachers'  work 
in  three  languages  (French,  German,  and  Spanish)  to  be  super- 
vised, there  is  greater  need  of  an  official  head  of  department  than 
in  the  Classics  Department,  now  involving  but  two  languages 
(with  Greek  apparently  dying  out)  and  the  teaching  time  of  only 
two  and  a  half  teachers.  Furthermore,  this  judgment  is  rein- 
forced by  the  showing  in  the  classification  tables  given  below, 


348  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

where  one  sees  28  and  25  recitation  classes  in  French,  German, 
and  Spanish,  and  only  13  and  11  classes  in  Latin  and  Greek, 
indicating  a  correspondingly  greater  total  number  of  pupils 
pursuing  the  Modern  Languages. 

The  duties  and  activities  of  the  heads  of  departments  as 
such  were  learned  by  requesting  each  head  of  department  to 
submit  a  written  statement.  The  first  statement  received  begins 
with  the  frank  declaration:  ''The  situation  is  anomalous.  So 
far  as  I  am  aware  my  duties  have  never  been  defined  by  any  one 
in  authority."  This  is  an  acknowledgment  suggesting  at  once  the 
recommendation  that  some  definition  of  the  duties  of  heads  of 
departments  be  undertaken,  perhaps  by  the  heads  themselves 
in  conference  with  the  head  master  and  the  Superintendent. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  remainder  of  the  statement  from  which 
the  foregoing  quotation  comes  and  the  statements  of  the  other 
four  heads  of  departments  all  indicate  that  some  very  good  work 
in  the  direction  of  departmental  organization  and  management 
and  the  unification  of  instruction  is  being  done.  In  reply,  how- 
ever, to  the  specific  request,  "Please  tell  what  supervision  of 
instruction  you  conduct,"  the  answers  show  that  not  so  much 
in  this  direction  is  accompKshed  as  would  be  advantageous  and 
as  might  properly  be  expected  if  the  school  schedule  were  arranged 
to  afford  heads  of  departments  more  periods  for  supervisory 
visitation  in  the  classrooms  of  the  masters  and  assistants  than 
are  now  available.  Judicious  supervisory  visiting  by  a  sym- 
pathetic but  keen-sighted  head  of  department  should  be  made 
a  prime  factor  in  the  improvement  of  teachers  after  appointment, 
especially  in  the  cases  of  the  younger  and  less  experienced  teachers. 

Under  the  head  of  size  and  composition  of  classes,  ^.e.,  recita- 
tion groups,  the  first  item  of  interest  is  the  number  of  pupils  per 
teacher  for  the  school  as  a  whole.  LTpon  this  point  the  annual 
school  reports  furnished  figures  that  place  Brookline  in  striking 
and  most  favorable  contrast  with  other  cities.  This  is,  however, 
a  fact  so  well  known  that  it  has  been  made  the  subject  of  pub- 
fished  comment  outside  of  Brookfine;  for  example,  three  years 
ago  the  Superintendent  of.  Newton,  Mass.,  presented  in  his 
annual  report  (February,  1914)  a  table  in  which  Brookline,  in 


The  High  School  349 

the  matter  of  number  of  high  school  pupils  per  teacher,  was  set 
off  in  contrast  with  33  other  Massachusetts  cities,  the  Brookline 
figure  being  20.52,  whereas  the  figures  for  the  other  cities  ranged 
from  22.07  to  35.25  with  an  average  of  27.76  pupils  to  the  teacher. 
From  the  BrookHne  reports  the  following  figures  were  obtained: 
High  school  average  number  of  pupils  per  teacher  based  upon 
^'average  membership"  —  1910,  19;    1911,   20;   1912,  20;   1913, 
20;  1914,  22;  1915,  24;  and  1916  (for  the  school  year  1915-16) 
25.4  pupils  per  teacher.     It  must  be  pointed  out,  moreover,  that 
probably  the  last  figures  given  should  in  strictness  be  lower  than 
they  are.     Thus  the  25.4  for  1916  is  obtained  by  dividing  the 
average  high  school  membership,  686.1  pupils,  by  27  as  the  number 
of  teachers,  this  latter  figure  being  the  number  of  listed  high 
school  teachers,  31,  less  four  that  are  counted  out  as  "special 
teachers,"  because  their  work  is  in  the  ''special"  fields  and  their 
time  is  given  partly  to  Practical  Arts  pupils.     But  this  seems 
not  a  sufficient  reason  for  reducing  the  teacher  divisor  in  this- 
way :  so  that,  if  31  is  taken  as  the  divisor,  the  quotient  for  average 
of  pupils  per  teacher  drops  to  22.1;  and  if,  on  the  other  hand, 
because  a  number  of  the  high  school  teachers  have  Practical  Arts 
pupils  for  certain  periods  of  the  week,  the  two  schools  should 
be  considered  as  one  for  the  present  computation,  we  should  have 
an   average  membership   of  760.3   pupils   (686.1+74.2)    and   a 
teacher  divisor  of  38   (31+7)  producing  an  average  of  pupils 
per  teacher  of  20  for  the  two  secondary  schools  together  —  or 
21.1  if  the  two  principals  are  left  uncounted.     In  any  case,  how- 
ever, to  be  able  and  willing  to  maintain  so  low  an  average  of 
pupils  to  the  teacher  is  very  exceptional  in  pubhc  high  school 
administration  and  greatly  to  the  credit  of  Brookline.     Whether 
or  not  the  present  rJ^tio  is  unnecessarily  and  expensively  low  will 
appear  on  considering  in  detail  the  classification  in  the  high  school 
through  the  past  two  years. 

The  following  tables  present  the  class  (i.e.,  recitation  section) 
organization  of  the  school  last  year  and  this  year,  excepting  the 
subjects  of  Art,  Physical  Training,  and  Music,  that  do  not  fit 
into  this  tabulation. 


350 


School  Survey  of  Brookline 


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352  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

These  tables  exhibit  the  exceptionally  small  number  of  pupils 
to  the  class  that  prevails  in  Brookline  High  School.  In  1915-16 
there  were  so  many  classes  with  fewer  than  20  pupils  that  the 
middle  50  per  cent  of  all  the  classes  in  the  school  showed  an 
enrollment  range  of  19  to  26  pupils.  Again,  in  1916-17  the 
small  classes  are  so  numerous  that  the  middle  50  per  cent  is  found 
in  the  range  of  17  to  24  pupils;  and  there  are  no  less  than  two 
dozen  classes  with  fewer  than  15  pupils  each.  Of  course  it  is 
well  understood  that  in  a  school  offering  a  number  of  differentiated 
curriculums  some  classes,  particularly  in  the  two  upper  years,  are 
bound  to  be  small;  yet  it  is  equally  well  known  that  the  most 
effective  recitation  work  will  not  appear  in  very  small  classes, 
and,  moreover,  by  no  means  are  all  the  smaller  classes  here  found 
in  the  last  two  years  of  the  school,  as  the  original  data  clearly 
demonstrate.  What  should  be  regarded  as  the  proper  size  of 
a  recitation  class  depends  somewhat  upon  circumstances,  includ- 
ing the  character  of  the  study  or  exercise  concerned;  so  that  a 
principal  will  often  feel  justified  in  making,  for  example,  smaller 
sections  in  shop  or  laboratory  work  than  in  such  academic,  '^book- 
ish" work  as  History  or  Mathematics  or  Latin.  The  prevailing 
opinion,  however,  upon  this  matter  sets  a  standard  for  pubUc 
high  school  classes  decidedly  above  the  dominant  sizes  of  classes 
in  Brookline  High  School;  often  the  range  from  25  to  30  pupils 
to  the  class  is  advocated;  and  in  certain  published  reports  classes 
of  28  to  35  pupils  are  approved  as  reasonable  and  not  too  large 
for  effective  instruction  when  in  the  hands  of  good  teachers.  Never- 
theless, on  the  assumption  that  BrookUne  is  abundantly  able 
and  altogether  willing  to  do  better  by  her  youth  than  most  cities 
can  do,  it  may  be  here  recommended  that  Brookline  assume  as 
her  standard  for  high  school  recitation  classes  a  range  of  20  to 
28  pupils.  This  proposed  standard  is  applied  above  in  the  table 
for  1916-17;  where  the  classes  falUng  within  the  standard  are 
graphically  blocked  off,  and  the  final  columns  of  the  tabulation 
present  the  number  and  per  cent  of  classes  dropping  below  20 
pupils  and  running  above  28  pupils.  These  last  columns  point 
out  the  particular  subject  fields  in  which  special  effort  should  be 
made  to  reduce,  and  eliminate  altogether  when  possible  and  not 


I 


The  High  School  353 

pedagogically  inadvisable,  the  numerous  under-sized  classes  (52 
\ji  all,  36.6  per  cent)  and  the  relatively  few  over-sized  classes 
''(lO  only,  seven  per  cent) ;  and,  in  proportion  as  success  attends  the 
reduction  of  the  number  of  these  under-sized  classes,  the  school 
can  be  made  to  provide,  to  some  extent  at  least,  for  an  increased 
enrollment  without  the  appointment  of  additional  teachers. 
Apparently,  for  example,  it  would  be  quite  as  feasible  to  double 
up  the  three-pupil  and  five-pupil  classes  in  Manual  Training 
and  Mechanical  Drawing  as  it  was  to  effect  the  corresponding 
consohdation  in  Domestic  Science  that  has  been  made  in  the 
class  designated  ''Domestic  Science  I  and  11." 

An  examination  of  the  composition  and  character  of  the 
recitation  classes  discloses  a  mode  of  classifying  pupils  that 
presents  both  an  advantageous  and  disadvantageous  aspect. 
There  is  a  manifest  tendency,  amounting  to  a  principle  of  organiza- 
tion for  the  school,  to  group  pupils  into  classes  according  to  the 
curriculums,  or  courses,  they  are  pursuing.  This  is,  in  part,  an 
inevitable  and  quite  desirable  arrangement,  particularly  in  the 
more  special  and  technical  classes  of  the  school  program;  thus, 
only  College  Preparatory  pupils  are  to  be  expected  in  the  class 
in  ''College  Review  History"  and  only  Commercial  Course  pupils 
are  expected  in  the  class  in  "Business  Law."  On  the  other  hand, 
when  in  the  subjects  of  a  more  general  and  broadly  cultural 
character  as  is  most  of  the  Enghsh  and  History,  especially  that 
of  the  first  two  years  (where  pupils  are  new  to  the  school  and  are 
in  the  various  courses  with  less  finality  of  decision  than  they 
feel  in  the  third  and  fourth  years),  there  is  set  up  a  grouping  of 
pupils  in  recitation  sections  strictly  according  to  the  curriculums  of 
their  enrollment,  an  undemocratic  spirit  with  more  or  less  of 
social  stratification  may  be  introduced  or  fostered  by  this  classi- 
fication. In  the  present  year's  classification,  for  example,  in 
first -year  EngUsh  there  are  10  recitation  classes,  but  they  fall  dis- 
tinctly into  five  groups  according  to  the  curriculums  of  the  school : 
three  College  Preparatory  classes,  one  College  Technical  class, 
one  Technical  Course  class,  two  General  Course  classes,  and  three 
Commercial  Course  classes.  Again,  throughout  the  organization 
and  management  of  the  school  there  is  apparent  a  certain  aversion 


354  School  Survey  of  Brookiine 

to  the  mixing  of  high  school  pupils  and  Practical  Arts  pupils  even 
in  subjects  common  to  the  curriculums  of  both  the  interlocking 
schools,  as  in  Manual  Training  recitations  and  shop  work,  in 
Commercial  Branches,  and  in  Domestic  Science.  Evidently, 
existing  arrangements  might  promote  social  education  of  the 
wrong  sort  for  the  best  life  in  the  American  democracy;  and,  in 
addition,  this  mode  of  classification  doubtless  stands  responsible 
for  some  of  the  under-sized  sections  through  the  school,  as  one 
finds  right  here  in  the  Enghsh  classes  the  College  Technical 
division  having  but  19  pupils  and  the  Technical  only  11.  Further- 
more, classification  according  to  the  curriculums  of  the  pupils  when 
extended  to  the  general  subjects  of  the  program  produces  segrega- 
tion by  sex  to  an  extent  that  may  be  neither  necessary  nor  desir- 
able for  the  school,  as  is  seen  perhaps  in  the  present  English 
classes  of  boys  only  and  a  Physics  class  composed  wholly  of  girls. 
Just  one  thing  —  but  this  may  become  a  very  important  con- 
sideration —  may  be  offered  in  justification  for  the  principle  of 
thoroughgoing  classification  according  to  curriculums:  that  is,  the 
opportunity  thus  afforded  for  the  working  out  of  desirable  dif- 
ferentiations in  subject  matter  and  method,  even  in  the  more 
general  (versus  the  special  and  technical)  subjects,  in  order  to 
adapt  the  school  more  perfectly  to  the  varying  needs  of  the  pupils; 
and  in  certain  directions  the  Brookiine  faculty  are  plainly  at 
work  upon  such  differentiations  as  appear,  for  example,  in  the 
development  of  ''Business  English"  in  contrast  with  the  tradi- 
tional literary,  historical,  even  esoteric  Enghsh  of  the  standard 
college  entrance  requirements. 

All  this  study  of  the  composition  of  classes  leads,  finally,  to 
the  question  of  co-education  in  Brookiine  High  School.  Upon 
this  somewhat  mooted  question  the  prevailing  practice  in  Ameri- 
can public  education,  a's  is  well  known,  favors,  even  where  no 
necessity  exists,  co-education  rather  than  segregation  through  the 
adolescent  years  as  well  as  in  childhood;  and  certainly  much  is 
to  be  said  for  the  proposition  that  the  way  to  get  an  adult  citizen- 
ship of  two  sexes  living  in  right  relations  is  to  bring  up  the  two 
sexes  of  youth  together,  educating  them  along  the  way  into  that 
right  relationship  —  especially  as  any  enforced  and  more  or  less 


The  High  School  355 

artificial  school  segregation  stands  in  striking  contrast  with  the 
natural  and  inevitable  informal  co-education  going  on  all  the 
time  in  the  home,  on  the  street,  in  the  church,  and  everywhere 
else.  Specifically  for  Brookline  it  can  be  asserted  that  in  the 
high  school  inspection  made  for  this  report  nothing  was  found  to 
indicate  any  unwholesome  condition  arising  out  of  the  co-educa- 
tion in  the  school;  so  that  it  is  probably  true  in  Brookhne,  as  it 
certainly  often  is  elsewhere,  that  at  bottom  motives  other  than 
anxiety  over  the  possible  deterioration  of  the  character  and  con- 
duct of  youth  under  co-education  in  pubUc  high  schools  dictate 
in  most  cases  the  transfer  of  boys  and  girls  from  these  schools 
to  other  institutions. 

The  general  disciphne  of  the  school  is  undoubtedly  good,  and 
the  relations  existing  between  pupils  and  teachers  appear  to  be 
altogether  what  the}^  should  be  —  except  in  one  case  of  which 
the  head  master  is  fully  aware.  In  one  or  two  other  cases  junior 
teachers  of  the  faculty  need  some  advice  and  assistance  toward  the 
development  of  strength  and  resourcefulness  in  class  management, 
for  example,  in  the  supervision  of  large  groups  during  study 
periods;  but  this  is  always  to  be  expected  in  a  large  school.  Ex- 
cepting the  case  of  disciphnary  weakness  just  alluded  to,  only 
in  a  single  instance  during  visits  to  all  the  classrooms  while  recita- 
tions were  in  progress  did  any  incident  occur  exhibiting  improper 
speech  or  behavior  from  a  pupil  to  a  teacher;  and  upon  that  oc- 
casion the  teacher  met  the  little  outbreak  of  adolescent  "con- 
trariness" with  a  quiet  firmness  that  indicated  admirable  poise 
and  self-control.  There  is,  however,  one  habit  prevalent  in  the 
school  that  is  distinctly  unpleasant  to  the  visitor  and  seemingly 
discourteous  to  the  teachers;  this  is  the  practice  pupils  follow 
in  rising  and  leaving  the  recitation  rooms,  often  hastily,  upon 
the.  stroke  of  the  gong  at  the  end  of  periods  without  waiting 
for  any  word  or  signal  of  dismissal  from  the  teacher  —  this  un- 
ceremonious exit  occurring  sometimes  even  while  the  teacher  was 
in  the  act  of  giving  out  the  assignment  for  the  next  day's  lesson. 
This  undesirable  habit  could  be  readily  corrected;  and  indeed 
it  would  probably  disappear  automatically  as  soon  as  a  five- 
minute  warning  bell,  to  signal  the  approaching  close  of  the  period, 


356  School  Survey  of  Brookltne 

is  introduced,  a  mechanical  aid  in  school  management  found 
generally  in  high  schools  and  here  recommended  for  Brookline. 
Another  recommendation,  affecting  the  interests  of  the  girls  in 
particular,  is  that  the  most  suitable  woman  member  of  the  faculty 
be  officially  appointed  as  Dean  of  Girls,  or  with  some  similar 
appropriate  title,  to  advise  with  the  girls  and  guide  and  instruct 
them  in  matters  of  a  personal  and  hygienic  character  not  easily 
to  be  handled  by  a  man  principal.  Finally,  it  should  be  reported 
that  although  no  fire  drill  was  called  for  during  the  inspection 
of  the  school,  the  questions  asked  concerning  the  fire  drills  re- 
ceived answers  suggesting  that  these  drills  are  perhaps  not  con- 
ducted with  all  the  seriousness  they  should  invariably  be  given, 
and  not  with,  among  other  features,  that  approach  to  precision 
of  movement  and  comparative  silence  (to  permit  of  the  easy 
and  rapid  issuance  of  emergency  instructions  in  case  of  need) 
which  could  and  should  be  exacted;  in  short,  one  suspects  that 
the  fire  drill  in  Brookline  High  School  is  not  enough  unlike  the 
recurring  exchange  of  classes  and  the  ordinary  daily  dismissal 
of  the  school  with  their  attendant  freedom  of  movement  and 
speech. 

The  assignments  of  work  to  the  teachers  of  a  high  school 
faculty  can  be  studied  with  reference  to  the  subjects  taught, 
the  number  of  periods  per  week  of  actual  class  instruction  in 
each  teacher's  program,  the  number  of  periods  of  study  room 
supervision  given  the  teacher,  the  number  of  "free"  periods 
remaining,  the  total  of  "pupil-periods"  per  week  carried,  and 
the  "extra-curricular"  duties  assigned  each  teacher.  All  six 
items  are  displayed  for  Brookline  High  School  in  the  following 
table,  which  gives  the  assignments  of  the  whole  faculty,  excepting 
the  head  master  and  the  "special  teachers"  of  Music,  Needle- 
work, Physical  Training,  and  one  part-time  teacher  of  Domestic 
Science. 


The  High  School 


357 


o 

m 

m 

< 

'co 
« 

o 
<^ 

o 
o 

o 


"Extra-Curricular" 

Assignments 

Reported 

1 

!     CC     73     in       '. 

\>^>^    ■    ■    ■ 
1 

^    :    :    ':    : 

>H         .         .        .         . 

1 

S    :    :    :    : 

>H        .        .        .        . 

:    :    :  S    • 

.         .         .    >H         . 

;  M  il 

1  <£  ^ 

^3 

•  Cq    rtH    (N    O 

•  lO   tH    ^    '^ 

+ 

o  o  ^      •      • 

r-4.    O    O         •         • 
Tf*     lO    CO         •         • 

t^    CD    00    00 

Ci  lO  t-  CO  • 
Tti    Tfi    lO    CD 

8    :    :    :    : 

^    .    .    .  •. 

•    1— 1    CD 
■      •      .  O  O 
•       •       •    CO    (N 

....    CO 

O    O    '^    ^    CO 

CO    (M    (M    CO    00 

lO    CO    Tti    CO    CO 

Periods  of 

Study 

Supervision 

Per  Week 

^      Tj^      O      O      t^ 

I>    00    CO    CO    O 

CO    lO    CO    Tfi    TtH 

Periods  of 
Instruction 
Per  Week 

^^g^g 

ggg?5g^ 

(M  (N  CO  CO  CO 
(M    (N    (M    (M    <N 

1 

1 

Modern  Languages 
Enghsh 
English 
English 
English 

Enghsh 
English 
Latin-Mathematics 
Commercial-Mathematics 
Manual  Training 

French 

History 

French 

Mathematics 

Mathematics 

Individual 

1 

S 

r-l     Oq     CO    T*1     lO 

B  a 

CD   t--    00    05    O 

S 

.-1    (M    CO    TjH    lO 

T-H     tH     rH     i-H     T-l 
* 

358 


School  Survey  of  Brookline 


a 

a 
o 
O 


H 

!z; 
o 

h- 1 
OQ 

OQ 
« 

W 
o 
< 

h3 

O 

o 
w 

o 

w 
o 


''  Extra-Curricular" 

Assignments 

Reported 

1 

.         .         .      ^ 

:    .    .    .  >H 

s  ;  :  :  ; 

^    .   .    .    . 

'.     w        '.        '.        '. 

:^    :    :    : 

1 

'.     '.     !    to     ! 

:    :    :;S    : 

;  Ml  ; 

<u     .     .     .     . 

;>^    .    .    .    . 

Total 
"  Pupil-Periods  " 

S 
^ 

CO   O   CO      -GO 
lO    -^    CO       •    Tti 

•    00       •    Ci       • 
.    rt<       •    CO       • 

1 

O  C5      •  o      • 
00   CO       •    o       • 
CO  Ttt      -co      • 

.     .     .  o     • 

:    :    :^    : 

LC         -CO         •    i-H 

5    :ft    :§ 

Remaining 
"Free" 
Periods 

CO    »0   tH    CO    CO 

CO    lO    »0    rti    CO 

(N    CO    (M    i-H    O 

Periods  of 

Study 

Supervision 

Per  Week 

O    rH     (M     CO    CO 

CO  o  o  1-t  cq 

CO    i-i   o    O    O 

Periods  of 
Instruction 
Per  Week 

Tt^     TjH     Tfl     TtH     TjH 

(M    C>q    (N    (N    (N 

-^    lO    lO    lO    lO 
(N    (M    (N    (M    CN 

lO   O    00    Cft    O 
(N    C^    (M    (M    CO 

f 

Manual  Training 
Science 
Science 
Commercial 
History 

History-Science 
Modem  Languages 
Commercial 

Latin 
French 

Latin-Greek 

Science 
Manual  Arts 
Commercial 

Art 

1 

1 

1 
1 

as     a 
*     * 

a 

a     a 

CO   I>   00   05   o 
<M    (N    (M    (M    CO 

The  High  School  359 

Here  the  30  teachers  are  listed  in  an  ascending  order  accord- 
ing to  the  combination  of  their  instruction  periods  and  study 
class  periods.  The  starred  numbers  represent  the  five  heads 
of  departments,  and  the  letter  M  designates  the  men  of  th«  faculty. 
The  figures  for  "pupil-periods"  of  work  per  week  represent  in- 
struction entirely,  and  exclude  study  room  supervision.  The 
plus  mark  after  the  number  304  in  the  line  for  Teacher  8  shows 
that  this  teacher  has  in  addition  to  her  regular  classes  a  number 
of  added  pupil  periods  of  instruction  each  week  in  seven  periods 
devoted  to  special  help  work  with  fluctuating  groups  of  back- 
ward pupils.  The  column  of  ''extra-curricular"  assignments 
records  only  the  fact  of  such  duties  or  services  being  reported; 
some  extra-curricular  service  for  the  school  may  have  been  missed. 
And  doubtless  there  is  needed  in  Brookline  no  explanation  that 
''free"  periods  in  a  large  high  school  do  not  mean  periods  of 
idleness  for  teachers. 

It  is  at  once  apparent  that  assignments  of  20  to  25  periods 
of  instruction  per  week  represent  the  norm  for  the  school, 
and  that  teachers  of  English  are  given  not  more  than  20  periods; 
and  both  these  items  of  organization  are  in  conformity  with  the 
best  practice  elsewhere  on  the  basis  of  a  30-period  schedule.  It 
may  be  questioned  whether  heads  of  departments  should  be  tied 
down  to  study  room  supervision  if  this  can  be  avoided,  particu- 
larly when  their  actual  teaching  exceeds  20  periods;  for  pre- 
sumably their  time  could  be  more  advantageously  spent  in  ad- 
ministrative and  supervisory  service.  It  seems  not  good,  more- 
over, that  the  head  of  the  department  of  EngUsh  should  have 
the  heaviest  English  assignment  and  one  of  the  heaviest  assign- 
ments of  the  school,  in  terms  of  pupil-periods  per  week,  when  she 
has  not  only  one  of  the  subject  fields  most  in  need  of  continuous 
supervision  and  revision  but  also  a  greater  number  of  assistant 
teachers  than  are  found  in  any  other  department.  It  is  com- 
mendable that  at  least  half  the  faculty  render  extra-curricular 
service  representing  a  considerable  variety  of  teacher  activities 
for  the  good  of  the  school,  ranging  from  care  of  supplies 
and  keeping  the  book  records  to  guidance  of  literary  and 
debating  clubs  and  social  functions  and  supervision  of  the  school 


360         School  Survey  of  Brookline 

athletics;  and  the  valuable  effects  derivable  from  these  latter 
activities,  particularly  in  the  direction  of  wholesome  social  educa- 
tion and  training  for  good  citizenship,  are  so  patent  that  the 
drawing  of  all  the  remaining  members  of  the  faculty  into  some 
participation  in  this  extra-curricular  service  is  strongly  recom- 
mended. 

The  most  significant  feature,  however,  of  the  table  of  assign- 
ments presented  above  is  the  quantity  of  weekly  instruction 
given  by  the  several  teachers,  here  recorded  in  pupil-periods  per 
week.  A  "pupil-period"  means  the  instruction  of  one  pupil 
through  one  period;  so  that  the  teaching  of  a  class  of  25  pupils 
once  a  day,  five  periods  a  week,  would  amount  to  125  pupil- 
periods;  and  an  assignment  of  five  such  classes,  involving  25 
periods  of  class  teaching  per  week,  would  produce  an  ''instruc- 
tional load"  of  625  pupil-periods  per  week.  Now,  just  as  might 
have  been  expected  from  the  showing  made  in  the  classification 
tables  already  discussed,  the  Brookhne  High  School  instructional 
assignments,  owing  chiefly  to  the  many  small  classes  in  the  school 
organization,  are  decidedly  lighter  than  the  assignments  ordinarily 
given  teachers  in  public  high  school  administration  in  cities. 
This  aspect  of  the  school  is  set  forth  more  clearly  in  the  following 
table : 


I 


The  High  School 


361 


No.  of 
A  ssign- 

mcnls 
ill  Each 

Range 

lO 

OD 

(M 

^ 

+ 

' 

CO 

CO 

N 

1— 1 

1^ 
1 

S 

CO 

CO 

CO 

1  e 

II 

' 

^3 

CO 

^'1 

O  O    00  Ci 

lO 

1 

■ 

. 

(M 

Natural 
Science 

: 

Oi     GO   • 

i 

CO 

: 

^ 

CO 

T— 1 

i 

(M 

. 

; 

(M 

1 

«5 

; 

■^  (M     CO  O 

O  (M 

O  CO 
UO  lO 

: 

CO 

■   ^1 

CM  O 

o  "^ 
CO  o 

8   3   i 

o  '^ 
o  o 

o  '^ 
CO  o 

362  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

Here  it  is  seen  that  the  greatest  number  of  assignments  in 
any  range  (14)  falls  in  the  400  to  500  pupil-period  range;  and  that 
more  than  two-thirds  of  all  the  assignments  (14  +  8)  fall  in  the 
range  of  400  to  600  pupil-periods  per  week.     In  other  cities, 
on  the  contrary,  it  is  common  to  regard  assignments  very  much 
in  excess  of  600  pupil-periods  per  week  as  reasonable  and  normal; 
thus  a  standard  range  of  660  to  720  pupil-periods  per  week  has 
been  advocated;  and  one  recent  study  of  high  school  organiza- 
tion sets  up  a  standard  of  792  pupil-periods  per  week  for  men 
(24  periods  of  teaching  with  classes  averaging  33  pupils)  and  726 
pupil-periods  per  week  for  women  (22  periods  with  classes  averag- 
ing 33  pupils)   as  not  unreasonable  under  the  relatively  high 
salaries  of  the  larger  and  better  cities.     Putting  aside,  however, 
these  figures  as  indicative  of  a  quality  of  class  work  that  Brookhne 
can  and  will  surpass,  and  reverting  to  the  proposed  standard 
of  20  to  28  pupils  for  the  size  of  classes  in  Brookline  High  School, 
one  arrives  at  a  standard  range  of  500  to  700  pupil-periods  per 
week,  this  amount  being  obtained  by  taking,  first,  20  periods  of 
instruction  with  classes  averaging  25  pupils  each  (or  25  periods 
with  classes  averaging  20  pupils)  and,  second,  25  periods  of  in- 
struction with   classes   averaging   28   pupils   each.     Under   this 
standard  any  assignments  in  the  400  to  500  pupil-period  range, 
now  almost  the  rule,  ought  to  be  exceptional  and  specifically 
justified;  and  400  pupil-periods  {i.e.,  20  periods  of  instruction 
with  classes  averaging  20  pupils)   should  become  the  absolute 
minimum  assignment.     At  present,  as  the  foregoing  table  shows, 
just  one-third  of  the  faculty  assignments  (8+2)  come  up  to  the 
proposed  standard  of  500  to  700  pupil-periods  of  instruction  per 
week. 

The  final  topic  set  for  consideration  in  this  section  is  the 
effect  of  the  school  organization  on  high  school  costs  in  Brookline. 
This  matter  requires  but  brief  comment  here,  because  of  the 
extended  treatment  of  expenditures  presented  in  the  chapter 
on  the  School  Finances,  and  yet  mention  may  be  made  of  the 
leaving  of  certain  subjects  in  the  program  of  studies,  of  the  small 
classes  and  the  low  ratio  of  pupils  per  teacher  in  the  school,  and 
of  the  teachers'  assignments  in  pupil-periods  per  week.     It  is 


The  High  School  363 

evident  that  the  continuance  of  Greek,  and  of  any  other  subject 
in  which  only  very  small  recitation  classes  can  be  made  up,  con- 
stitutes a  relatively  expensive  item  in  the  budget  of  the  school, 
and  a  factor  operating  to  raise  and  keep  high  the  per  capita  cost. 
Thus,  in  the  case  of  Greek,  with  two  very  small  classes  in  the 
school  now,  of  five  and  six  pupils  respectively,  the  subject  occupies 
two-fifths  of  the  teaching  time  (10  periods  out  of  25)  of  a  maximum- 
salaried  master  ($2500);  so  that  manifestly  the  cost  of   Greek 
instruction  in  Brookline  is  very  high  at  present  —  but,  of  course, 
with  the  community  rests  the  decision  whether  this  subject  or 
any  other  similarly  unpopular  subject,  for  the  sake  of  the  pupils 
electing  it  and  their  future  citizenship  and  personal  culture,  is 
an  important  enough  element  in  the  offering  of  pubHc  education 
to  be  worth  all  it  costs.     Similarly,  throughout  the  school  the 
many  small  classes  in  various  subjects  (52  with  fewer  than  20 
pupils,  36.6  per  cent  of  all  the  recitation  sections)  with  the  re- 
sulting unnecessarily  low  ratio  of  pupils  per  teacher,  as  has  been 
shown,  form  an  important  element  in  the  high  costs  of  the  school; 
and  the  reduction  of  the  number  of  such  classes,  by  the  introduc- 
tion of  the  proposed  class  standard  of  20  to  28  pupils,  would  cer- 
tainly reduce  the  per  capita  cost  of  instruction  in  the  high  school 
without  any  significant  impairment  of  efficiency,  with,  indeed, 
a  sure  enhancement  of  educative  effects  in  certain  subjects  where 
now  the  low  class  membership  precludes  enthusiasm,  lively  dis- 
cussion, or  stimulating  emulation.     And  to  accomplish  the  elimina- 
tion of  very  small  classes  in  some  cases,  as  was  suggested  for 
the  upper  classes  in  Manual  Training  and  Mechanical  Drawing, 
consolidation  of  grades  with  yearly  alternation  of  two  units  of 
work  might  be  effected.     Again,  the  high  school  costs  would  be 
materially  -  affected  by  raising  the  teachers'  assignments  to  the 
proposed  standard  of  500  to  700  pupil-periods  per  week.     From 
now  on,  therefore,  by  organizing  the  school  with  more  careful 
attention  than  perhaps  has  been  paid  heretofore  to  cost  account- 
ing upon  unpopular  subjects,  under-sized  classes,  and  over-light 
assignments   to   teachers,   the   per   capita   expenditure  may   be 
reduced;  and  for  a  while  at  least  it  may  be  expected  that  certainly 
some,  and  perhaps  a  considerable,  increase  of  enrollment  can  be 
handled  without  the  appointment  of  additional  teachers. 


364  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

Teachers  and  Teaching. 

When  engaged  in  studying  the  personnel  of  a  high  school 
faculty,  one  is  concerned  with  the  policy  pursued  in  the  selection 
and  appointment  of  teachers,  the  standards  followed  in  the 
matter  of  candidates'  scholastic  training  and  prior  experience, 
the  length  of  service  the  members  of  the  staff  have  given  in  the 
school  studied,  the  salary  schedule  in  effect  and  the  actual  salaries 
present  incumbents  are  receiving,  the  personality  of  the  teachers 
as  seen  in  the  classroom  and  the  quality  of  their  instruction. 

In  the  matter  of  securing  high  school  teachers,  Brookline 
appears  to  be  pursuing  the  altogether  enlightened  policy  of  giving 
to  the  Superintendent  of  Schools  complete  freedom  to  go  out  and 
get  for  each  vacancy  or  new  position  created,  ''the  best  available 
teachers."  So  long  as  the  Superintendent  retains  the  confidence 
of  the  School  Committee,  and  shows  in  classroom  results  the 
soundness  of  his  judgment  in  the  selection  of  new  teachers,  he 
can  rely  upon  securing  the  prompt  appointment  of  ever}^  candidate 
he  nominates.  This  disposition  of  the  Brookline  School  Com- 
mittee to  leave  practically  altogether  to  the  Superintendent  the 
extremely  important  and  wholly  professional  duty  of  securing 
additions  to  the  teaching  corps  is  worthy  of  especial  comment 
and  the  heartiest  commendation,  both  because  it  is  so  com- 
pletely in  line  with  sound  administrative  principles,  and  because 
a  very  different  attitude  on  the  part  of  a  school  board,  or  of  cer- 
tain members  of  the  board,  is  by  no  means  uncommon.  As  a 
result,  there  is  now  in  Brookhne  High  School  a  faculty  that 
appears  distinctly  superior  to  the  average  city  high  school  faculty. 

In  one  respect,  however,  a  change  from  the  present  status 
in  the  Brookhne  faculty  may  be  recommended:  the  proportion 
of  men  to  women  should  be  made  more  nearly  equal  in  such  a 
large  co-educational  school.  The  faculty  roll  of  1916-17  shows, 
besides  the  head  master,  only  10  men  as  against  20  women; 
and  when  the  present  exchange  teacher  in  the  school,  a  man, 
is  replaced  by  the  return  of  the  regular  teacher,  a  woman,  now 
on  exchange  assignment  in  another  cit}',  the  ratio  of  men  to 
women  will  fall  below  one-third.  It  would  seem  that  the  number 
of  men  teachers  in  Brookhne  High  School  could  be  easily  in- 


The  High  School  365 

creased  if  a  distinct  effort  toward  this  end  were  put  forth;  and  it 
may  be  regarded  as  particularly  undesirable  to  have  no  men  at 
all  teaching  in  certain  departments,  as  in  the  department  of 
Enghsh. 

The  details  of  the  high  school  teachers'  scholastic  training-, 
previous  experience,  service  in  Brookline,  and  salaries  can  best 
be  shown  in  tabular  form.  The  following  table  sets  forth  this 
information  as  accurately  as  it  could  be  obtained  from  the  teachers' 
written  reports,  a  few  of  which  were  not  absolutely  clear  on  every 
point.  Scholastic  training  was  readily  classified  as  ''college 
graduation,"  "normal  graduation,"  or  "special  preparation"  that 
consisted  of  partial  college  courses  and  other  extended  study  or 
specialized  work  in  technical  institutions  directly  in  the  Une  of 
the  teacher's  specialty.  The  individual  members  of  the  staff 
are  here  denoted  by  numerals  in  the  same  way  as  in  the  table  of 
High  School  Teachers'  Assignments  (cf.  the  foregoing  section)* 
with  the  addition  of  "H.  M."  for  the  head  master  and  "No. 
31"  for  the  teacher  on  leave  of  absence  this  year  on  an  exchange- 
assignment  in  another  city,  "No.  1"  being  the  exchange  teacher- 
in  Brookline.  The  count  of  years  of  teaching  is  brought  up  to- 
the  end  of  the  first  semester  of  the  current  academic  year,  one  or 
two  odd  months  here  and  there  being  disregarded.  The  seven 
years  in  the  third  column  for  Teacher  11  includes  the  two  years, 
of  a  former  period  of  service  in  Brookhne  itself. 


366 


School  Survey  of  Brookline 


High  School  Faculty,  1916-17. 


Years  Ex- 

Years 

Total 

Salaries 

Individual 

Scholastic 

perience  before 

Service  in 

Years 

in 

Teachers 

Training 

Brookline 

Brookline 

Experience 

1916-17 

H.  M. 

College 

14.0 

3.5 

17.5 

$3800 

Im. 

College 

6.5 

.5 

7.0 

1500 

-*2 

College 

4.0 

12.5 

16.5 

1900 

S 

College 

.7.0 

2.5 

9.5 

1300 

4 

College 

3.0 

2.5 

5.5 

1000 

5 

Special 

3.5 

.5 

4.0 

1050 

6 

College 

1.5 

7.0 

8.5 

1500 

7 

Special 

6.5 

8.0 

14.5 

1300 

8 

College 

8.0 

2.5 

10.5 

1200 

9  m. 

College 

4.0 

7.5 

11.5 

1750 

10  m. 

Special 

2.0 

21.5 

23.5 

2500 

11 

College 

7.0 

1.5 

8.5 

1500 

12 

College 

2.0 

19.0 

21.0 

1500 

13 

College 

5.0 

1.5       , 

6.5 

1050 

14 

College 

0.0 

12.5 

12.5 

1350 

*15m. 

College 

15.0 

16.0 

31.0 

2800 

16  m. 

Special 

4.0 

18.5 

22.5 

2200 

=*17m. 

•  College 

5.0 

26.5 

31.5 

2800 

18 

College  " 

11.0 

9.5 

20.5 

1500 

*19m. 

Normal 

20.0 

5.0 

25.0 

2600 

20 

College 

4.0 

6.0 

10.0 

1450 

21 

College 

1.0 

.5 

1.5 

1050 

22 

CoUege 

8.0 

11.5 

19.5 

1500 

23 

Special 

9.0 

8.5 

17.5 

1400 

*24m. 

CoUege 

17.0 

16.5 

33.5 

2800 

25 

College 

4.0 

2.5 

6.5 

1150 

26 

College 

5.0 

16.5 

21.5 

2500 

27 

Normal 

5.0 

16.5 

21.5 

1500 

28  m. 

Normal 

12.0 

11.0 

23.0 

2500 

29 

CoUege 

4.0 

2.5 

6.5 

1050 

30 

Normal 

17.0 

3.5 

20.5 

1450 

31 

CoUef^e 

1.0 

21.5 

22.5 

1500 

The  High  School      '  367 

Here  it  is  shown  that  but  five  teachers  of  the  faculty  (four 
appointed  eight  to  21  years  ago)  are  not  college  or  normal  gradu- 
ates, having  had  only  partial  college  courses  or  merely  special 
training  in  the  field  of  their  instruction;  that  four  are  normal 
school  graduates  with  (as  their  records  show)  considerable  ad- 
ditional special  training;  and  that  the  remaining  23  are  all  college 
graduates,  holding  in  six  cases  both  the  Bachelor's  and  the  Master's 
degrees  and  in  one  case  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Philosophy  in 
addition.  The  roll  of  the  colleges  from  which  these  teachers 
were  graduated  includes  such  high-grade  institutions  as  Brown, 
Harvard,  Mount  Holyoke,  Radcliffe,  Smith,  University  of  Cali- 
fornia, Vassar,  Wellesley,  Wesleyan,  and  Tufts.  All  this  makes 
a  very  good  showing  for  the  school  in  the  matter  of  the  scholastic 
equipment  of  the  faculty.  It  is  noteworthy,  however,  that  ex- 
cept in  the  cases  of  the  records  containing  more  or  less  normal 
work,  there  occur  but  two  instances  (one  a  clear-cut  Wellesley 
statement)  of  any  mention  of  professional,  as  distinguished 'from 
academic,  preparation  for  high  school  teaching:  that  is,  the 
typical  college  graduate  teacher  in  BrookUne  has  not  had,  or 
considers  as  unworthy  of  special  mention,  any  courses  in  educa- 
tion, even  such  as  relate  to  the  history  and  philosophy  of  secondary 
education  and  the  nature  and  needs  of  youth,  or  to  principles 
of  method  for  high  school  teaching.  Apparently  the  fourfold 
formula  for  the  high  school  teacher's  preparation,  so  clearly 
expressed  and  so  generally  accepted  in  recent  years,  —  namely: 
(1)  General  academic  preparation,  (2)  special  academic  prepara- 
tion (the  teacher's  ''specialties"),  (3)  professional  preparation, 
and  (4)  experience  in  actual  teaching  —  is  thought  of  in  BrookUne 
in  the  abbreviated  form  that  omits  item  three.  Assuming  that 
this  inference  from  the  teachers'  reports  is  not  erroneous,  one 
finds  right  here  one  of  the  probable  causes  of  such  shortcoming? 
in  classroom  w^ork  as  will  be  indicated  in  a  subsequent  paragraph. 
As  regards  the  teachers'  experience  the  table  presents  a 
good  showing.  Twenty-six  of  the  32  teachers  listed  had  three 
or  more  years'  teaching  experience  before  they  were  taken  into 
Brookline,  and  18  had  five  or  more  years'  experience  before 
appointment  in  BrookUne;  so  that  in  only  six  cases  have  any  of 


368  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

the  present  members  of  the  high  school  faculty  been  accepted 
with  less  than  three  years  of  prior  experience.  And  the  column 
of  years  of  service  in  Brookline  shows:  Periods  for  the  31  teachers, 
excepting  the  head  master,  ranging  from  one-half  year  to 
263/^  years,  with  a  median  period  of  service  of  eight  years; 
only  five  teachers  (including  the  exchange  teacher  and  the  two 
teachers  newly  appointed  in  1916)  with  less  than  two  years' 
service  in  Brookline;  seven  teachers  with  from  two  to  four  years 
in  BrookHne;  and  20  teachers  who  have  served  BrookUne  for 
five  or  more  years,  the  periods  for  certain  of  these  teachers  running 
up  to  12,  16,  19,  21  and  263^  years.  Moreover,  of  the 
12  teachers  who  have  been  in  Brookline  High  School  less  than 
five  years,  only  two  have  had,  in  Brookline  and  previous  positions, 
a  combined  experience  of  less  than  five  years,  and  these  two  are 
the  new  appointees  of  1916,  in  the  table  Teacher  5  and  Teacher 
21.  Again,  when  the  total  years  of  experience  for  each  of  the 
31  teachers  (head  master  again  excepted)  are  arranged  in  order 
from  the  highest  to  the  lowest  figure,  from  333^  years  to  one  and 
one-half  years,  it  is  found  that:  (1)  One-fourth  the  members  of 
the  staff,  eight  teachers  of  the  senior  group,  have  taught  from 
223/^  to  333^  years;  (2)  one-fourth,  eight  teachers  of  the  junior 
group,  have  taught  from  one  and  one-half  to  eight  and  one-half 
years;  and  (3)  the  middle  50  per  cent  of  the  faculty,  15  teachers, 
have  taught  from  eight  and  one-half  to  213^  years,  with  the 
median  term  of  experience  falHng  at  163^  years  —  a  result  estab- 
lishing the  fact  that  Brookline  has  no  high  school  teachers  so 
advanced  in  years  and  duration  of  service  as  to  be  thereby  more 
or  less  incapacitated,  and,  on  the  other  hand,  not  more  than  one 
of  the  comparatively  immature  and  inexperienced  teachers  often 
found  elsewhere  making  up  a  large  proportion  of  the  facult}^ 
All  these  figures  support  also  the  declarations,  found  in  various 
annual  reports  of  the  •  Superintendent,  concerning  the  stability 
of  the  teaching  corps  in  Brookhne,  and  justify  the  gratification 
expressed  over  that  circumstance. 

The  last  column  of  the  foregoing  table  sets  forth  the  salaries 
paid  in  Brookhne  High  School  this  year.  Obviously  there  is  a 
wide  range  of  salaries  here,  from  $1000  to  $2800  for  the  heads 


The  High  School  369 

of  departments  and  $3800  for  the  head  master;  but  in  a  general 
way,  excepting  the  S1500  salaries,  the  higher  salaries  have  come 
with  years  of  service  and  the  lower  salaries  are  attached  to  the 
shorter  periods  of  service.  Thus  all  the  salaries  above  $1500 
are  going  to  teachers  who  have  had  1 1  or  more  years  of  experience, 
and  most  of  the  salaries  under  $1500  are  received  by  teachers 
who  have  had  less  than  11  years'  experience.  The  extreme 
variation  in  length  of  service  of  the  teachers  receiving  $1500  is 
explained  by  the  fact  that  this  is  the  maximum  for  ''assistants," 
women  not  in  departmental  headships;  and  naturally  some  of  them 
have  stood  at  this  maximum  for  a  number  of  years,  while  others 
have  just  reached  it  after  comparatively  few  years.  Whether 
any  unjustifiable  discrepancies  exist  between  the  different  salaries 
and  the  length  and  value  of  the  service  of  the  respective  teachers 
is  an  important  but  dehcate  question  not  to  be  settled  in  the 
limited  time  available  for  the  field  work  of  this  report.  Certain 
queries,  however,  inevitably  present  themselves;  for  example, 
why  is  Teacher  14,  apparently  an  altogether  satisfactory  teacher, 
after  12^  years  of  service  in  Brookline,  now  receiving  only 
$1350,  when  Teacher  3,  with  but  two  and  a  half  years  in  Brookhne 
and  only  nine  and  a  half  years  of  total  experience,  has  already 
reached  $1350? 

The  present  distribution  of  salaries  in  Brookline  High  School 
can  be  seen  best  when  arranged  as  follows : 


370 


School  Survey  of  Bkookline 


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The  High  School  371 

Here  the  black  lines  show  the  hmits  set  by  the  salary  rule 
which  reads:  ''The  salaries  of  teachers  shall  be  fixed  at  the  time 
of  their  appointment;  and,  unless  otherwise  ordered,  the  maxi- 
mum shall  be  —  high  school :  head  master,  $3800 ;  head  of 
department  (man  or  woman),  $2800;  masters,  $2500;  assistants 
(women),  $1500."  (Rules  of  the  School  Committee,  chap.  IV, 
sec.  3.)  In  the  foregoing  table  the  man  at  $2600  and  the  woman 
at  $1900  are  heads  of  departments  not  yet  arrived  at  the  maximum. 
Thus,  although  Brookline  has,  of  course,  a  salary  rule,  she  has 
no  salary  schedule;  and  apparently  she  feels  no  need  of  a  schedule 
to  regulate  salary  increases.  Increases  for  efficient  ser\'ice, 
though  not  ordered  by  rule,  are  reported  to  be  conomonly  granted 
annually  in  $50  or  $100  increments  up  to  the  maxima  set  by  the 
rule.  Excepting  the  head  master  and  the  four  heads  of  de- 
partments beyond  $2500,  the  salaries  of  the  remaining  27  teachers, 
ranging  from  $1000  to  $2500,  show  a  present  median  salary  of 
just  $1500;  and,  because  of  the  number  of  teachers  at  $1500 
(eight),  the  median  remains  the  same  even  when  all  the  heads 
of  departments  are  included  in  the  reckoning. 

These  Brookhne  High  School  salaries,  both  the  maxima 
ordered  in  the  rules  and  the  actual  salaries  of  the  present  year, 
are  higher  than  the  salaries  of  high  school  teachers  anywhere 
except  in  certain  of  the  largest  cities.  Such  salaries,  however, 
are  probably  not  too  high  for  Brookline,  since  the  community 
is  now,  in  the  matter  of  Hving  expenses  and  the  things  expected 
of  teachers,  to  all  intents  and  purposes  a  part  of  the  city  of  Boston. 
Furthermore,  it  is  proper  to  question  whether  there  should  be 
as  much  as  $1000  difference  between  the  maximum  attain- 
able by  "assistants,"  the  women,  $1500,  and  the  "masters," 
maximum,  $2500;  so  that,  unless  the  present  salary  rule  is  to  be 
completely  revised,  the  recommendation  may  be  offered  that  the 
boundary  for  the  "assistants"  be  moved  up  to  a  point  less  distant 
from  that  of  the  "masters." 

Taking  up,  finally,  the  last  topic  set  for  consideration  in  this 
section  of  the  report,  the  personality  of  the  high  school  teachers 
and  the  quality  of  their  classroom  instruction,  one  reaches  what 
is  rightly  regarded  as  the  most  difficult  and  dehcate  item  of  a 


372  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

high  school  survey.  Upon  one  aspect,  however,  of  the  Brookline 
situation  an  immediate  and  positive  judgment  can  be  rendered. 
All  the  foregoing  exposition  of  present  conditions  in  Brookhne 
High  School  —  the  relatively  high  salaries,  the  comparatively 
small  classes,  the  resulting  unoppressive  assignments  upon 
teachers,  the  short  school  day  —  all  these  circumstances  create 
a  situation  that  should  be  attractive  to  the  very  best  teachers 
because  permitting  the  performance  of  a  very  high  grade  of 
classroom  work.  That  one's  expectation  of  finding  here  a  high 
school  faculty  distinctly  superior  to  the  average  is  realized  has 
been  indicated  already;  and  yet  it  must  now  be  recorded  that 
the  visitor's  gratification  is  tempered  by  the  discovery  that,  in 
certain  respects  at  least,  what  is  going  on  in  the  classrooms  of 
Brookhne  High  School  seems  disappointingly  like  the  things 
seen  and  heard  in  other  less  fortunate  high  schools. 

In  respect,  first,  to  the  personahty  of  the  high  school  teachers, 
it  may  be  said  that  this  term,  indefinable  but  designating  some- 
thing very  real  and  extremely  important  in  teaching  (as  well 
as  in  all  other  situations  involving  personal  relations),  embraces 
in  its  connotation  such  elements  as  personal  appearance,  dress, 
bearing  and  manners,  voice,  use  of  Enghsh,  evidence  of  culture, 
sense  of  humor,  and  disposition  toward  the  pupils.  According 
as  a  teacher  makes  a  good  or  a  poor  showing  in  these  aspects 
of  personahty,  as  he  goes  through  the  daily  round  of  instruction, 
he  will  prove  forceful  or  weak,  attractive  or  unattractive,  stimu- 
lating to  youth  and  calhng  forth  the  boys'  and  girls'  best  efforts, 
or  uninspiring  and  provocative  of  nothing  but  indifference  if 
not  repugnance  and  open  opposition.  In  personality  the  members 
of  Brookhne  High  School  faculty,  with  but  three  or  four  excep- 
tions, impress  one  very  favora})ly;  they  constitute  a  strong  corps; 
and  the  effects  of  their  personal  force  and  their  good  influence 
are  seen  in  the  respect  shown  by  the  pupils  to  their  teachers, 
in  the  pleasant  personal  relations  and  satisfactory  school  spirit 
manifested,  and  in  the  generally  excellent  disciphne  of  the  school 
already  noted  under  Organization  and  Management. 

Regarding  the  quality  and  results  of  the  instruction  given  in 
a  school,  one  seeks  some  tangible  objective  data  to  offer  alongside 


i 


The  High  School  373 

the  professional  judgments  formed  from  sample  views  of  the  actual 
teaching.  In  the  present  case  two  sources  of  such  data  were 
readily  found :  First,  in  the  college  entrance  records  of  Brookline 
graduates  and  their  collegiate  work  through  the  freshman  year; 
and,  second,  in  the  high  school  records  of  failures  year  by  year 
in  the  various  subjects  taught.  Report  has  already  been  made 
of  the  success  of  Brookline  High  School  students  both  in  the 
college  entrance  examinations  and  in  the  freshman  work  in  col- 
lege; and  this,  as  has  been  stated,  is  an  evidence  that,  for  certain 
significant  purposes  at  least,  the  quality  and  resuHts  of  the  high 
school  instruction  must  be  good.  Not  so  satisfying,  however, 
is  the  record  of  success  and  failure  within  the  school  itself  in  the 
various  subjects  of  instruction,  as  indicated  by  the  term  marks 
the  teachers  have  reported  to  the  office.  Upon  this  point  the 
head  master  submitted  a  table  of  failures  he  had  compiled,  show- 
ing for  the  past  three  years  the  number  of  pupils  enrolled  in  each 
subject,  the  number  ''conditioned,"  and  the  percentage  the 
"conditioned"  were  of  the  whole  number  pursuing  the  subject. 
''Conditioned,"  as  the  term  is  used  in  this  connection,  includes 
both  the  pupils  who  failed  so  emphatically  as  to  be  listed  to  repeat 
the  study  and  also  the  pupils  conditioned  merely  in  the  ordinary 
sense,  i.e.,  found  not  passable  at  the  end  of  the  year  but  given 
the  privilege  of  passing  off  the  subject,  if  they  can,  in  an  examina- 
tion at  the  beginning  of  September.  The  head  master's  failure 
table  is  here  presented,  with  the  addition  of  a  column  headed 
"failure  index"  for  summing  up  the  three  years'  percentages  of 
failure. 


374 


School  Survey  of  Brookline 


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The  High  School  377 

The  first  tHing  to'  be  said  about  this  table  is  that  the  amount 
of  failure  in  Brookline  High  School,  though  evidently  very  con- 
siderable, is  no  greater  than  that  found  in  many  other  supposedly 
good  high  schools;  and  yet  just  out  of  this  fact  arises  one's  dis- 
appointment —  that  the  Brookline  faculty,  with  all  their  excep- 
tional advantages,  have  not  succeeded  in  getting  what  they  rate 
as  satisfactory  pupil  work  without  producing  the  usual  high 
ratio  of  ''scholastic  mortality."  In  former  years  such  percentages 
of  failure  were  often  regarded  as  an  evidence  of  merit  in  teaching, 
a  proof  of  high  standards,  a  commendable  weeding  out  of  the 
unfit,  the  pupils  not  readily  adjustable  to  a  generally  inflexible. 
Course  of  Study  and  an  equally  rigid  teaching  method.  Today, 
however,  for  the  public  high  school  at  least,  a  quite  different  view 
is  coming  to  prevail;  so  that  the  ideal  now  is  rather  to  do  some 
adjusting  of  the  curriculum  and  method  to  the  pupils,  and  then, 
in  consequence,  to  raise  materially  the  score  of  successes  in  the 
school;  and  a  consistently  high  percentage  of  failures  in  any  room 
may  appear  as  a  mark  of  demerit  against  the  teacher,  a  confession 
that  he  is  unable  to  produce  good  results  except  with  the  bright 
and  docile  whom  any  one  jsould  teach. 

Of  the  various  other  observations  that  might  be  made  upon 
the  showing  of  results  of  instruction  that  this  failure  table  affords, 
the  most  significant  is  the  singling  out  of  those  subjects  in  the 
teaching  of  which,  first,  the  greatest  amount  of  failure  occurred, 
and,  second,  no  failure  at  all  occurred.  The  table  lists  47  sub- 
jects, a  subject  representing  a  year-unit  of  teaching  in  any  field 
of  study,  with  the  Roman  numerals  designating  the  grades  of 
the  school  from  the  senior  year  downward  —  thus,  ''I  English" 
means  fourth-year  English  and  ''IV  English"  means  first-year 
English.  Commenting  first  upon  the  instances  of  no  failure, 
one  observes  that  this  occurs  always  in  fourth-year  or  third- 
year  classes  or  in  very  small  classes;  and  as  that  is  just  what 
should  be  expected  in  any  good  high  school,  the  no-failure  here 
need  not  arouse  any  suspicion  of  "soft  pedagogy."  On  the 
other  hand,  a  study  of  the  larger  percentages  of  failure  in  each 
year  and  an  examination  of  the  "failure  index"  for  the  three 
years  show  disturbing  results  in  a  number  of  subjects,  and  an 


378  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

outcome  in  Algebra  (the  first-year  Mathematics),  in  Geometry 
(the   second-year   Plane   Geometry),   and   in   III   German   (the 
first  year  of  German)  that  is  little  short  of  startling.     In  the 
latter  three  subjects  the  failure  index  strikes  the  three  highest 
points  in  the  whole  table,  76.6,  79.5,  and  87.2  respectively;  and 
in  each  of  the  three  years  recorded  the  percentage  of  failure 
in  these  subjects  arose  above  20  per  cent,  so  that  for  every  four 
or  fewer  pupils  passed  one  was  failed  —  indeed  once  in  Geometry, 
with  36  per  cent  of  the  pupils  failing,  the  ratio  of  failure  rose 
to  more  than  one  to  two.    Similarly,  in  a  number  of  other  subjects, 
led  by  first-year  Latin  and  second-year  Business  Practice  but 
including    also    first-year    and    second-year    English,    third-year 
Mathematics,  first-year  and  second-year  French,  and  the  second 
year  of  German,  what  seems  an  excessive  amount  of  failure  is 
found,  as  indicated  by  single-year  percentages  of  20  per  cent  or 
more  accompanied  by  a  three-year  index  of  failure  rising  above  50. 
Consideration  for  the  numerous  failures  represented  by  this 
table  suggests  the  recommendation  that  in  every  case  of  a  failure 
index  exceeding  30  (or  other  figures  indicating  an  average  annual 
failure  higher  than  10  per  cent)  the  selection  of  subject  matter 
and  the  teaching  method  employed  in  the  subject  should  be  care- 
fully inspected,  with  a  view  to  the  introduction  of  abbreviating 
reforms.     This  recommendation  is  quite  consistent  with  former 
suggestions  and  recommendations  (for  example,  on  differentiated 
treatment  of  subject  matter  in  different  classes  and  curriculum s) 
presented  in  the  section  of  this  report  treating  Program  of  Studies 
and  CurricuJums,  and  it  also  expresses  what  some  progressive  high 
schools  are  already  busied  with  in  the  process  of  improving  them- 
selves.    The  foregoing  paragraph  specifies  12  points  of  inquiry 
with  which  to  begin.     Moreover,  when  this  large  proportion  of 
failure  is  viewed  in  connection  with  the  reported  success  of  Brook- 
line  High  School  graduates  in  the  college  entrance  examinations, 
and  other  evidence  submitted  elsewhere,  one  has  reason  to  infer 
that  the  school  has  developed,  perhaps  unconsciously,  a  system 
of  teaching  and  examining  that  is  in  large  measure  a  direct  drilling 
for  the  college  entrance  ordeal;   and  in  this  process  maybe   the 
many  not  bound  for  college  are  unnecessarily  neglected  and  often 


The  High  School  379 

ultimately  sacrificed  by  the  maintenance  of  the  adopted  college 
preparatory  discipline.  This  point  will  be  touched  upon  again 
in  a  subsequent  paragraph. 

In  addition  to  the  objective  data  just  submitted  upon  the 
quality  and  results  of  the  high  school  instruction,  it  is  desirable 
to  offer  also  some  expression  of  professional  opinion,  derived  from 
actual  observation  of  the  educational  process  going  on  in  the 
school.  Passing  judgment  in  this  way  upon  the  classroom  work 
of  a  large  corps  of  teachers  is  unquestionably  a  very  dehcate 
task;  and  without  the  opportunity  of  making  a  prolonged  and 
varied  analysis  of  each  teacher's  work  there  should  be  no  pre- 
tense of  anything  like  final  judgments.  Much  of  what  follows, 
therefore,  is  to  be  understood  as  merely  the  best  opinion  the 
Survey  Staff  could  form  in  the  very  limited  time  at  their  disposal 
for  classroom  visitation  and  the  direct  study  of  typical  teaching. 
However,  one  or  more  members  of  the  committee  did  become 
personally  acquainted  with  every  teacher  of  the  high  school 
faculty,  and  each  classroom  was  visited  once  or  oftener  while 
recitations  were  in  progress. 

It  is  almost  needless  to  record,  after  all  that  has  been  herein- 
before reported,  that  the  tea  'hing  in  Brookline  High  School  seems 
in  general  decidedly  good  and  on  a  level  clearly  above  that  reached 
by  the  work  in  many  high  schools.  Accordingly  all  that  is  now 
required  is  a  statement  of  the  shortcomings  noted  in  one  room  or 
another  as  recitations  in  the  various  subjects  of  the  program 
work  would  degenerate  from  genuine  teaching  to  that  mere  lesson 
hearing  which  many  a  parent  could  conduct.  As  to  the  organiza- 
tion of  the -lesson  for  the  production  of  the  most  educative  effects 
upon  the  pupils,  there  seemed  in  some  rooms  quite  insufficient 
thought  given  to  the  introduction  of  desirable  variations  from  the 
textbook  treatment,  especially  in  the  direction  of  supplemental 
illustration  and  appHcation  and  the  relating  of  the  matter  taught 
to  the  actual  experiences  of  the  pupils.  Often  indeed,  even  with 
the  regular  use  of  a  textbook  to  secure  systematic  progress  through 
a  subject,  quite  independent  treatment  and  more  or  less  complete 
reorganization  of  certain  topics  are  needed  to  adapt  the  work  most 
judiciously  to  particular  classes.     As  to  teaching  technique,  the 


380  School  Sukvey  of  Beookline 

elements  that  constitute  the  most  effective  procedure  for  the 
professional  conduct  of  recitations,  defects  were  repeatedly 
noticed;  in  the  failure  to  make  specific  and  stimulating  assign- 
ments; in  the  lack  of  suggestions  for  mode  of  attack  upon  the 
lessons  assigned,  so  that  teaching  how  to  study  may  become  a 
a  continuous  item  in  the  classroom  work;  in  inexpert  questioning 
and  apparent  unawareness  of  or  disregard  of  established  principles 
of  good  questioning  in  the  recitation;  in  the  teacher's  talking 
too  much,  so  that  the  teacher,  rather  than  the  pupils,  did  the 
reciting  and  too  much  of  the  lecture  form  of  work  came  in,  reduc- 
ing the  pupils  to  a  state  of  mere  receptivity;  in  the  giving  of 
unnecessary  assistance  to  pupils  under  circumstances  where  they 
might  with  advantage  have  been  stimulated  to  the  full  in  the 
exercise  of  self-help  and  the  utilization  of  their  own  resources; 
and  in  the  conduct  of  drill  lessons  unenlivened  by  the  infusion 
of  motive,  variety,  and  helpful  vivacity.  As  to  the  pupils' 
reactions  in  the  course  of  -the  recitation,  there  appeared  in  certain 
rooms  altogether  too  little  animation,  or  lively  interest,  or  even 
enthusiasm  (which  some  teachers  succeed  in  inspiring);  for  here 
the  pupils  seemed  passive  rather  than  active,  inert  rather  than 
thoughtfully  alert,  doing  their  duty,  it  is  true,  but  apparently 
engaged  too  often  in  the  stoical  endurance  of  a  grind  necessary 
in  order  to  be  landed  safely  in  college. 

\  Naturally,  if  a  teacher's  view  of  the  function  of  high  school 
work  is  circumscribed  to  the  preparation  of  the  elect  for  success 
in  the  traditional  college  entrance  examinations  and  the  ehmina- 
tion  of  all  unfit  for  this  honor,  then  the  criticisms  offered  in  the 
foregoing  paragraph  may  appear  not  only  needless  but  simply 
irrelevant.  Indeed  one  teacher,  to  whom  a  member  of  the  Survey 
Staff  ventured  to  put  som.e  questions  in  reference  to  the  technique 
of  a  recitation  just  observed,  showed  a  disposition  to  brush  aside 
all  the  critic's  impUed  strictures  with  the  confident  and  seemingly 
all-sufficient  declaration,  ''Well,  my  boys  always  get  through 
the  college  entrance  examinations."  On  the  other  hand,  to  safe- 
guard this  part  of  the  report  from  misinterpretation,  it  may  be 
well  to  reassert  that  much  of  the  teaching  seen  did  not  exhibit 
in  any  notable  way  the  weaknesses  just  described. 


The  High  School  381 

By  way  of  offering,  in  conclusion,  some  notes  upon  the  cause 
of,  and  the  remedies  for,  such  shortcomings  as  appeared  in  the 
high  school  teaching  observed,  it  may  be  said  that  probably  a 
principal  cause  is  found  in  the  absence  of  professional  training, 
as  distinguished  from  academic  equipment,  in  the  preparation  of 
a  large  proportion  of  the  faculty.  Moreover,  it  may  be  true  also 
that  the  heads  of  departments,  in  their  practice  of  departmental 
supervision,  are  unnecessarily  sohcitous  lest  they  impose  methods 
upon  their  assistants;  for  one  head  of  department  turned  in  a 
report  indicating  an  anxiety  to  be  ''not  in  any  sense  a  dictator,^' 
and  stating  a  plan  of  holding  assistant  teachers,  ''responsible 
for  results,"  but  leaving  wholly  to  them  "the  method  by  which 
they  shall  obtain  these  results."  The  head  master,  on  the  contrary,, 
evidently  feels  no  such  hesitation  about  instructing  his  teachers, 
particularly  the  junior  members  of  the  corps,  upon  the  subject 
of  teaching  method ;  but  the  need  of  suggestions  toward  improving 
the  method  of  the  recitation  in  Brookhne  High  School  is  not 
limited,  according  to  the  observations  of  this  Survey,  to  the 
younger  and  less  experienced  teachers.  Efficient  means  for  this 
desirable  improvement  of  teaching  technique  should  be  found 
in  more  supervision  directed  especially  toward  this  object;  in 
departmental  conferences,  and  even  general  faculty  meetings,  for 
the  discussion  of  definite  aims  or  objectives  of  the  instruction, 
and  more  effective  methods,  really  significant  tests,  and  results 
of  most  worth;  in  studious  consideration  of  the  causes  producing 
the  high  percentage  of  failure  in  the  school;  and  in  mutual  class- 
room visiting  on  the  part  of  all  the  members  of  the  faculty  to 
secure  suggestive  and  illuminating  objective  views  of  one  another's 
work  in  the  conduct  of  typical  recitation  procedures. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

THE   SCHOOL  OF  PRACTICAL  ARTS. 

The  School  of  Practical  Arts  appears  to  have  been  organized 
in  recognition  of  the  fact  that  the  grammar  school  and  the  high 
school  did  not  offer  courses  well  adapted  to  the  needs  of  all  groups 
of  children  in  Brookline. 

The  regular  grammar  school  course  prepares  for  the  l.igh 
school.  To  those  who  can  take  a  four-year  course,  the  high  school 
offers  either  a  general  academic  course  or  preparation  for  pro- 
fessional or  commercial  hues.  These  courses  do  not  adequately 
provide  for  the  large  number  of  children  who  cannot  complete 
a  four-year  high  school  course,  but  who  must  soon  seek  industrial, 
domestic,  or  commercial  employment.  In  certain  grades  of  the 
grammar  school,  Manual  Training,  Cooking,  and  Sewing  are 
taught,  but,  owing  to  the  restricted  scope  of  activities  involved 
and  the  limitations  of  time  given  to  them,  these  courses  cannot 
function  as  prevocational  courses  for  children  who  will  directly 
enter  employment. 

The  extensive  equipment  in  the  Manual  Training  High  School 
is  serving  a  smaller  group  of  high  school  pupils  each  year,  con- 
sequently much  of  the  plant  is  being  used  by  the  high  school 
for  only  a  part  of  the  day,  and  the  entire  time  of  the  teaching 
staff  is  not  fully  emploj^ed  with  the  high  school.  The  high  school 
pupils  are  not  avaihng  themselves  of  the  Manual  Training  work, 
as  they  are  busy  meeting  college  entrance  requirements  or  in 
taking  the  Comm^ercial  Courses  and,  in  either  case,  are  lacking 
interest  in  the  Manual  Arts  work  or. the  time  for  it.  The  estabUsh- 
ment  of  the  School  of  Practical  Arts  in  the  Manual  Training  High 
School  building  was  a  commendable  move  on  the  part  of  the 
Brookhne  school  authorities  to  make  this  equipment  and  teaching 
staff  available  for  children  who  could  not  attend  high  school. 

382 


The  School  of  Practical  Arts  383 

But  before  the  School  of  Practical  Arts  can  reach  the  large 
group  of  children  it  should  be  serving,  certain  obstacles  to  its 
development  must  be  removed.  As  constituted,  it  does  not  seem 
to  be  intimately  and  organically  related  to  the  other  schools. 
It  ranks  neither  as  a  grammar  school  nor  as  a  high  school ;  yet  the 
work  and  the  age  of  the  pupils  attending  indicate  that  it  laps  over 
the  upper  two  years  of  the  grammar  schools  and  the  first  year  or 
two  of  the  high  schools.  Its  separateness  is  an  obstruction  to 
the  full  reahzation  of  its  aims.  A  stigma  seems  to  attach  to  it 
that  it  will  be  difficult  to  overcom.e  while  the  school  remains  thus 
disconnected.  Grammar  school  children  realize  that  the  school 
is  not  of  high  school  grade  and  that  Practical  Arts  pupils  are  not 
admitted  to  high  school.  To  those  who  can  go  to  high  school 
this  suggests  inferiority.  With  the  exception  of  printing,  which 
is  taught  in  a  small  basement  room  by  a  special  instructor,  the 
shop  instruction  is  given  by  high  school  teachers  using  high  school 
-equipment.  The  signs  placed  at  the  entrances  to  the  shops 
designating  them  as  ''high  school"  shops  seem  to  express  exclu- 
sion to  the  Practical  Arts  boys  and  girls  who  must  use  them. 
The  programs  of  the  Practical  Arts  courses  are  not  made  out 
until  the  high  school  requirements  for  the  shops  have  been  deter- 
mined. After  the  needs  for  high  school  shop  work  have  been 
met,  the  Practical  Arts  pupils  may  use  the' shops  or  rooms  for 
such  time  as  may  be  left.  Naturally  this  cannot  operate  to  the 
advantage  of  the  School  of  Practical  Arts.  Several  large  rooms 
that  are  occupied  by  a  very  small  group  and  for  a  very  small 
part  of  the  time  are  reserved  exclusively  for  high  school  use,  while 
the  School  of  Practical  Arts  is  forced  to  hold  two  classes  simul- 
taneously in  one  room,  and  other  classes  in  the  director's  office. 
The  printing  equipment  is  crowded  into  a  very  small  basement 
room.  The  following  plans  and  tables  indicate  the  relative  size 
of  the  rooms,  their  capacity,  the  number  of  high  school  pupils 
rising  them,  and  the  length  of  time  they  are  used. 


384 


School  Survey  of  Brookline 


The  School  of  Practical  Arts 


385 


386  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

The'  tables  showing  how  much  these  rooms  are  used  include 
the  School  of  Practical  Arts  and  the  high  school.  The  drawings 
clearly  show  that  the  present  use  of  the  plant  involves  crowding 
in  some  instances,  while  in  other  cases  large,  expensively  equipped 
rooms  are  used  by  an  extremely  small  number  of  pupils  for  but 
a  few  hours  in  the  week.  If  the  Practical  Arts  work  is  to  be  con- 
tinued in  this  plant,  some  adjustment  should  be  made  in  the  use 
of  the  shops  and  the  rooms.  The  forge  shop,  machine  shop,  and 
foundry  are  used  for  but  a  small  fraction  of  the  possible  pupil 
hours.  All  of  the  probable  requirements  for  forge  instruction 
could  be  accomphshed  with  less  than  half  of  the  present  number 
of  forges.  These  could  with  best  advantage  be  installed  in  the 
machine  shop.  Another  method  would  be  to  change  the  char- 
acter of  the  present  forge  shop  so  as  to  retain  a  few  forges  and 
in  addition  to  accommodate  the  machine  equipment.  Foundry 
work  should  be  taught  as  part  of  the  Pattern  Making  instruction. 
A  part  of  the  present  foundry  equipment  would  answer  all  re- 
quirements for  this  part  of  the  instruction.  If  part  of  this  equip- 
ment were  removed,  the  pattern  shop  and  foundry  could  be  com- 
bined in  the  present  foundry.  These  modifications  would  not 
handicap  any  of  the  work  and  would  make  room  for  the  print 
shop  and  an  extra  mechanical  drawing  room  in  the  present  pattern 
shop.  Better  accommodations  have  been  needed  by  these  two 
departments.  If  these  changes  are  made  either  the  large  forge 
shop  or  the  machine  shop  would  be  vacant  and  would  offer  space 
for  additional  activities  as  they  may  be  added.  These  sugges- 
tions are  tentative.  Other  combinations  are  possible  that  may 
offer  equal  advantages. 

The  activities  which  the  School  of  Practical  Arts  offers  are 
limited  to  Machine  Work,  Woodwork,  Printing,  Cooking,  Sewing 
and  Elementary  Commercial  Training.  To  serve  adequately  the 
group  of  children  who  will  soon  leave  school  to  enter  emplo^iiient, 
the  significant  activities  into  which  these  pupils  may  enter  should 
be  represented  in  the  curriculum  of  the  school. 

It  is  believed  by  the  members  of  the  Survey  Staff  that  most  of 
the  handicaps  mentioned  above  as  interfering  with  the  work  under- 
taken by  this  school  could  be  overcome  by  the  introduction  of 


I 


The  School  of  Practical  Arts 


387 


388  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

additional  types  of  Practical  Arts  and  by  such  changes  of  or- 
ganization as  would  establish  closer  relations  with  the  grammar 
schools  and  the  high  school.  The  following  diagram  shows  these 
relations. 

In  determining  what  activities  should  be  represented  in  a 
Practical  Arts  course,  it  is  necessary  to  consider,  first,  the  present 
employment  of  the  adults  of  Brookline  and,  second,  the  expecta- 
tions of  the  children  as  to  their  probable  vocations.  This  infor- 
mation has  been  secured  by  the  committee  from  two  sources: 
From  the  poll  tax  list,  the  occupations  of  the  citizens  of  Brookline 
were  tabulated,  and  from  a  vocational  inquiry  blank,  submitted 
to  the  pupils  of  the  seventh,  eighth,  and  ninth  grades,  the  expecta- 
tions of  the  children  were  learned.  A  copy  of  the  questionnaire 
is  given  below: 

Vocational  Inquiry — ^  7th,  8th,  9th  Grades,  Brookline,  Mass., 
January,  1917. 

Name Grade 

School Teacher 

Were  you  born  in  Brookline? In  Massachusetts? In  the  U-  S? 

Do  you  intend  to  finish  the  ninth  grade? Do  you  intend  to  go  to  high  school? 

To  college?  Do  you  intend  to  goto  business  school? 

What  do  you  want  to  do  for  a  living  when  you  grow  up? 


Was  your  father  born  in  Brookline? In  Massachusetts? In  the  United  States?. 

What  is  your  father's  occupation? 

How  many  brothers  less  than  21  years  old  have  you,  who  are  at  work? 

Tell  the  age  of  each  brother  and  the  kind  of  work  he  does 

1.  Age Kind  of  work 

2.  Age Kind  of  work 

3.  Age Kind  of  work 

How  many  sisters  less  than  21  years  old,  who  are  at  work? 

Tell  the  age  of  each  sister  and  the  kind  of  work  she  does 

1.  Age Kind  of  work 

2.  Age Kind  of  work 

3.  Age Kind  of  work 

In  giving  occupation  or  kind  of  work,  state  business  as  well  as  occupation, 
as,  for  example:  Salesgirl  in  dry  goods  store,  finisher  in  tailor  shop. 


The  list  of  poll  tax  payers  represents  occupations  of  men 
only.  While  the  numbers  of  persons  engaged  in  different  occcupa- 
tions  do  not  indicate  the. number  of  boys  who  will  enter  these 
vocations,  the  grouping  of  these  numbers  under  such  general 
headings    as  Commercial,  Industrial   and  Professional  makes  it 


The  School  of  Practical  Arts  389 

possible  to  determine  the  trend  in  the  vocations  of  the  men  in 
the  community.  The  following  table  indicates  the  numerical 
order  in  which  these  groups  stand.  Only  occupations  repre- 
sented by  ten  or  more  workers  are  included  in  this  tabulation. 

Distribution  of  Occupations  Listed  in  the  Poll  Tax  List, 

Taking   into   Account   Occupations   Represented 

BY  Ten  or  More  Workers. 

Commercial 3314  Public  service 592 

Industrial 1121  Agricultural 276 

Personal  service 836  Retired 252 

Professional 774  Students 202 

This  table  is  significant  in  that  it  shows  that  Brookline,  so 
far  as  the  occupations  of  its  citizens  are  concerned,  is  a  suburb 
in  the  metropolitan  district  and  not  an  independent  community. 
The  occupational  groups  furnish  a  suggestion  that  the  schools 
of  Brookline  should  offer  a  wider  range  of  grammar  and  high 
school  courses  than  are  now  available  if  the  children  are  to  be 
prepared  to  enter  similar  groups  of  occupations. 

The  replies  to  the  vocational  inquiry  blanks  indicate  that 
most  of  the  children  in  the  seventh,  eighth  and  ninth  grades  have 
some  sort  of  vocational  aim.  Only  88  boys  and  127  girls  re- 
ported that  they  were  undecided  as  to  their  choice  of  occupations. 

The  following  tabulation  indicates  the  occupations  of  the 
fathers,  older  brothers  and  sisters,  and  the  choice  of  occupations 
of  the  pupils.     The  places  of  birth  of  the  fathers  are  also  indicated. 


390 


School  Survey  of  Brookltne 


Tabulations    of    Replies    to    Vocational    Inquiry    Blanks 

Received   from  Pupils  of  Seventh,   Eighth  and 

Ninth  Grades. 


CHART  NO.    1. 


J 

2 
1 

O 

E 

1 
1 

o 

fathers 

> 

0 

II 

.J. 

occupations 

11 

i 

ii 

1   . 

1^- 

II 

Accountant 

3 
4 
4 

2 
3 

1 

1 

1 

3 

8 

4 

1 

Advertising  Agent 

1 

3 

Architect 

1 

Actor.          

3 

Army 

Artist 

7 

Author 

1 
1 

5 

Aviator 

Baker 

2 

10 

2 

8 
1 
1 
3 
2 

1 
1 
7 
2 

3 

2 

1 
6 

Banker 

6 
1 

1 
I 

4 

6 

Barber 

1 
4 
1 

1 
2 

1 

Blacksmith 

3 

1 
1 

1 

Blast  Operator 

Boilermaker 

Bookkeeper 

Bottler 

2 

3 

5 

2 

1 
1 
1 
1 

Brakeman 

Bricklayer 

Broker 

Butcher 

1 

1 

1 

4 

1 

2 

2 

Baseball  Player 

3 

1 
1 
3 

Boat  Builder 

Caretaker 

5 

13 
3 

1 
45 
1 
1 
5 
4 
10 

2 

1 
1 

2 

8 

Carpenter 

Cashier 

5 

2 
1 
6 

3 
2 

2 
2 

Caterer             .        .    . 

1 
33 

1 

Chauffeur 

Chef        

3 

1 

5 

6 

14 

1 
3 
1 

Civil  Engineer 

2 
2 

1 

1 
8 

18 
3 

Clerk 

7 

The  School  of  Practical  Aets 


391 


CHART   NO.    1  — Continued. 


1 

a> 

2 

OQ 

S 

o 

o 

FATHERS 

1 

j5o 

! 

OCCUPATIONS , 

a.S 

si 

a: 

II 

£ 

a 

5 

It 

Collector 

2 
5 
3 
9 
2 
2 

1 
1 

.  .  .  .. 

Conductor 

1 



Consulting  Engineer    

.... 

Contractor 

Coppersmith 

2 

3 

2 

1 
2 

1 

Chemical  Engineer 

1 
1 

3 

1 
1 
1 
11 
2 
1 
1 

Caretaker  of  Animals 

1 

Decorator 

'2 
4 
1 
1 

12 
2 

5 

1 

2 

a 

1 

Dentist 

1 

Designer 

Detective 

10 

1 

1 

2 

Doctor 

Draftsman 

1 

4 
2 

3 

3 

Driver 

Druggist . 

Dressmaker 

2 

1 
1 

1 

10 

Domestic 

6 

Editor 

1 
32 

Electrical  Engineer 

Elevator  Superintendent 

Engineer 

12 
1 
6 
2 

1 

1 

2 

5 

2 



2 

4 

16 

1 

Expressman 

2 

Elocutionist 

2 

Farming 

Fireman 

4 
18 

4 
10 

1 

3 

8 
G 

2 
5 
1 

1 
9 

2 

1 

3 

7 

6 

1 

26 

14 
5 

2 
1 

1 

Florist 

Foreman 

Furrier 

Forestry  Work 

Gardener 

28 
1 
2 
1 
6 

r: 
O 

9 

5 
1 

2 

1 

Horseshoer 

Hospital  Manager 

Hostler 

2 
2 

4 
3 

1 

2 

Hotel  Manager 

392 


School  Survey  of  Brookline 


CHART   NO.   1  — Continued. 


1 

1 

.2 

1 

FATHERS 

h 

S  rt 

73 

OCCUPATIONS 

a 
c  o 

II 

li 

a 
g 

0   . 

^0 

0 

11 

^0 

Ice  man 

3 

2 

3 

Illustrator 

1 

Insurance 

9 

2 

1 

4 

4 

Inventor 

1 

1 
1 

Janitor 

Jeweler 

20 
5 

1 

8 

6 

1 

3 

2 

1 

17 

1 
1 

Junk  Dealer 

Jockey 

1 

Laborer 

52 
1 
3 

29 
6 
2 
2 

22 

1? 

1 

3 

2 

45 

1 
2 
4 

Laster 

Laundry 

1 

15 

3 

2 

"7' 
1 

1 

25 
2 

Lawyer 

2 
1 

3 
3 

Letter  Carrier 

Liquor  Dealer 

Liveryman 

1 

2 

Landscape  Gardener 

- 

Machinist 

5 
10 
15 
6 
3 
1 
8 
4 
95 
1 
1 
2 
7 
1 
2 

1 
4 
3 

1 

1 
4 
6 

1 

3 
1 

4 
2 
1 
1 

19 

9 
2 

1 

Manager 

Manufacturer 

1 
1 
1 

2 
2 
6 
9 

1 

1 

Mason 

1 

1 

Meat  Cutter 

Meat  Inspector 

Mechanic 

Mechanical  Engineer 

2 

2 

1 

4 

40 

16 
13 
24 
1 
1 
5 
1 

Merchant 

Messenger 

4 

1 

2 
1 

33 

Mining  Engineer 

1 
1 
4 
1 
2 

Minister  or  Priest 

1 

Motorman 

Moving  Pictures 

5 

1 

2 

Musician 

5 

83 

Milliner 

Missionary 

Naval  Architect 

2 
5 

1 

1 
1 

1 
11 

Naval  Officer 

1 

4 

Nurse 

37 

Nun 

0 

The  School  of  Practical  Arts 


393 


CHART   NO.    1  —  Concluded. 


1 

2 

o 

.2 

02 

1 

FATHERS 

if 

.2 

OCCUPATIONS 

a 
Po 

i 

11 
^1 

a 
ca 
1 

o 

l! 

S8 

Organist 

Office  Work 

1 

1 

1 

Painter 

Patternmaker 

14 
2 
1 
6 

16 
1 
5 

15 
6 
2 

28 
3 
1 
2 
6 
7 

3 

5 

3 

1 
2 

10 

1 

Piano  Mover 

2 
8 

1 
2 

4 

1 

2 
5 
1 

1 
7 
2 

PliimLpr 

2 

4 

2 
2 

5 

Policeman 

Postmaster     

2 

Printer 

1 
2 
4 
2 
1 

5 

3 

1 

Real  Estate           

4 

Retired 

3 

Roofer                

Salesman .  ^ 

2 

2 

10 

9 
3 
1 

7 

11 

1 

1 

Secretary 

Settlement  Director 

12 

2 

Sexton        .        

1 
1 

1 

2 
2 
6 

Shipping  Clerk 

Shoemaker 

2 

2 

.... 

2 

Singer 

2 

Stableman 

4 
1 

2 

3 

Steamfitter 

Stenographer 

44 

Superintendent  Estate 

Superintendent  Public  Service . 
Tailor 

2 
2 
5 
6 
12 
1 

2 
1 
5 
1 

8- 

1 
1 

12 
6 

2 
5 

Teacher 

Teamster 

2 
4 
1 

2 

5 
1 

1 

70 

Telegrapher 

Telephone  Operator 

5 

Treasurer 

2 
1 

1 

Trucking 

1 

Typewriter 

1 

Undecided 

90 
2 

129 

Undertaker 

2 
2 
1 
1 

3 

2 

Watchman 

2 

Water  Registrar 

Wine  Clerk 

1 

294 


School  Sirvey  of  Brookline 


Table   Showing   Occupations   of   Pupils'   Fathers, 
Grades   VII,  VIII  and  IX. 

A.     Professional. 


Occupation 

Arclrtect 

Civil  Engineer 

Consulting  Engineer. 
Dentist 

No. 

4 

5 

3 

4 

12 

Occupatiou 

Electr:cal  Engineer 

Lawyer 

Mechanical  Engineer .  .  .  . 
Naval  Officer 

No. 

...       12 

...       29 

4 

...         .5 

Doctor 

Teacher  

6 

Total 

84 

B.     Commercial. 

Accountant 

Advertising  Agent .  .  . 
Banker 

3 

4 

10 

3 

7 

3 

4 

o 

5 

Insurance 

Jeweler 

Letter  Carrier      .  . 

9 
5 

6 

Bookkeeper 

Broker , . 

Cashier   

Merchant 

Policem.an 

Real  Estate ■ 

...       ^5 

...       16 

15 

Clerk 

Conductor 

Hotel  Manager 

Salesman 

Shipping  Clerk 

Secretary 

.  ..       27 
5 
3 

Total 

. . .     225 

C. 

Blacksmith 

Caretaker 

Carpenter.  . 

Industrial,  Agn 

8 

5 

14 

xultural  and  Service. 

Laborer 

Laundry 

Machinist 

Manager 

Manufacturer 

...       52 
3 
5 

Chauffeur 

Coachman 

45 

10 

9 

5 

6 

4 

18 

4 

10 

24 

6 

3 

.  ..       10 
15 

Contractor 

Driver.  .  .  .  : 

Mason , 

Meat  Cutter 

6 
3 

Engineer 

Farming 

Fireman 

Florist 

Foreman 

Gardener 

Hostler 

Ice  M^n 

Mechanic 

Motorman 

Painter 

Plumber 

Printer 

Shoemaker 

Stableman 

Tailor 

Teamster 

9 
7 
14 
6 
5 
7 
4 
5 

Janitor 

.    .  .             20 

12 

Total 

. . .     354 

The  School  of  Practical  Arts 


395 


Table  Showing  Choice  of  Occupations  by  Boys  and  Girls, 
Grades  VII,  VIII  and  IX. 

A.     Professional. 

Girls  iVo. 

Teacher 70 

IS  iirse 37 

Musician 33 


No. 

Electrical  Engineer 32 

...       25 

18 

13 

11 

11 

8 

...         5 

5 

5 

4 

3 

3 


Lawyer 

Civil  Engineer 

Mechanical  Engineer 

Doctor 

Naval  Officer 

Architect 

Minister  or  Priest.  .  .  . 

Musician 

Teacher 

Army 

Actor 

Base  Bill  Player  ... 


Artist  .  .  .  . 
Author  .  .  . 
Actress.  .  . 
Doctor  .  . . 
Missionarv 


Total . 


143 


Total 


161 


B.     Commercial. 


Poys 

Merchant 

Salesman 

Banker. 

Real  Estate 

Advertising  Agent 

Pookkeeper 

C'erk 


No. 
24 
11 
6 
4 
3 
3 
3 


Girls  No. 

Stenographer •.  44 

Secretary 12 

Bookkeeper 5 

Telephone  Operator 4 


Total. 


54 


Total. 


65 


C.     Industrial. 


Boys 

Engineer  . 
Mechanic 
Chauffeur 
Farmer  .  . 
Machinist 
Fireman.  . 
Carpenter 
Decorator 


No. 

16 

16 

14 

14 

9 

5 

3 

3 


Girls 
Designer  .  . 
Dressmaker 
Domestic.  .  . 


No. 

10 

10 

6 


Total 


80 


Total 


26 


396  School  Suevey  of  Brookline 

Table  Showing  the  Number  of  Pupils  Making  Choice  of 
Vocations  and  Those  not  Making  any  Choice,  Grades 

VII,    VIII    AND    IX. 


N^ot  Making 

Choice  of 

Making  Choice 

Name  of  School 

Vocations 

of  Vocations 

Totals 

Devotion 

44 

129 

173 

Heath 

30 

70 

100 

Lawrence 

17 

71 
132 

88 

Lincoln 

33 

165 

Rankle 

51 

38 

89 

Pierce 

40 

166 

206 

Total 

215 

606 

821 

The  distribution  of  occupations  for  fathers,  older  brothers 
and  sisters,  as  shown  in  the  above  table,  discloses  the  kind  of  work 
adults  are  doing  now.  The  columns  giving  the  choices  of  occupa- 
tions by  the  boys  and  girls  simply  show  what  occupations  the 
pupils  aspire  to  follow.  The  wide  discrepancy  in  most  cases 
between  the  occupations  of  those  in  employment  and  the  choices 
made  by  the  children  indicates  that  most  of  the  children  are 
aspiring  to  occupations  on  a  somewhat  different  plane  from  those 
of  the  fathers,  older  brothers  and  sisters.  This  is  particularly 
evident  in  the  case  of  the  number  of  boys  choosing  engineering 
courses  and  the  number  of  girls  choosing  courses  for  musicians, 
teachers  and  stenographers. 

In  considering  the  aspirations  of  the  pupils,  it  should  be 
remembered  th?t  these  aspirations  have  been  largely  influenced 
by  the  experience  and  knowledge  which  the  school  has  given. 
This  knowledge  has  been  limited  in  scope  and  has  been  given  a 
distinctly  college  preparatory  trend.  Consequently,  many  have 
indicated  the  expectation  of  going  to  college  when  there  is  no 
possibility  of  their  doing  so. 

It  cannot  be  inferred,  however,  that  these  boys  and  girls  will 
follow  the  vocations  of  their  parents  or  older  brothers  and  sisters. 
It  is  noticeable  that  a  very  small  number  of  parents  were  born 
in  Brookline.     As  is  the  case  in  practically  all  American  cities, 


45 

173 

69 

9a 

16 

88: 

114 

169^ 

23 

89>- 

111 

195- 

The  School  of  Practical  Arts  397 

a  large  proportion  of  the  people  move  from  one  city  to  another. 
The  following  table  of  birthplaces  of  fathers  and  of  children 
indicates  that  Brookline  should  offer  varied  as  well  as  broad  courses 
of  education  to  meet  the  needs  of  the  children,  since  a  large  pro- 
portion of  the  children  will  undoubtedly  gain  their  livelihood  in 
another  community. 

Table  Showing  Birthplace  of  Fathers  Having  Children 
IN  School  in  the  Seventh,  Eighth  and  Ninth  Grades. 

Born  Born               Born 

Born  in  Elsewhere  in  Elsewhere  in    in  Foreign 

Name  of  School         Brookline  Massachusetts  United  States  Countries   Total 

Devotion 7  53  68 

Heath 19  5  6 

Lawrence 2  38  32 

Lincoln 24  21  10 

Runkle 2  34  '30 

Pierce 28  27  29 

Total 82  178  175  378  813: 

Table    Showing   Birthplace    of   School   Children   in   the 
Seventh,  Eighth  and  Ninth  Grades. 

Born  Born  Bom 

Born  in    Elsewhere  in  Elsewhere  in  in  Foreign 

Name  of  School               Brookline  Massachusetts  United  States  Countries  Total 

Devotion 42                88  36  8  174 

Heath 78                19  2  1  100 

Lawrence 23                46  17  2              88 

Lincoln 108                43  5  9  165 

Runkle 18                53  18  5              94 

Pierce 116                61  17  13    '  207 

Total 385  310  95  38  828 

Of  820  fathers,  10  per  cent  were  born  in  Brookline,  22  per 
cent  elsewhere  in  Massachusetts,  21  per  cent  elsewhere  in  the 
United  States,  and  45  per  cent  were  foreign  born.  As  indicated 
in  the  tabulation  from  the  vocational  inquiry  blanks,  the  majority 
of  the  chauffeurs,   gardeners,  laborers,  painters,  and  teamsters^ 


398 


School  Survey  of  Brookline 


were  foreign  born.  The  trend  of  occupations  of  children  of  foreign 
born  parents  will  probably  be  different  from  that  of  the  parents. 
A  system  of  education  in  which  school  aims  chiefly  to  prepare 
for  high  school,  and  high  school  to  prepare  for  commercial  work 
or  for  college,  will  not  fit  these,  children  for  their  life  work.  A 
large  proportion  of  them  must  enter  the  industrial  field  and  the 
schools  which  they  attend  should  offer  practical,  industrial  and 
home-making  courses  related  to  their  general  academic  training. 
These  practical  courses  should  offer  a  sufficient  try-out  experience 
in  a  fairly  wide  range  of  activities  to  inform  the  children  as  to 
their  possibilities  in  these  activities.  After  this  try-out  experience, 
special  training  courses  should  be  given  to  those  who  elect  definite 
vocations. 

Tables  Showing  the  Extent  to  Which  Children  Expect 
TO  Complete  their  Education. 

Will  Finish  Will  go  to 

Ninth  Grade  High  School 

Will  not     hut  Will  Not  but  not  to 

Finish       go  to  High  College      Will  go 

School                          Ninth  Grade     School  to  College         Total 

Devotion 2                15  31               125              173 

Heath 0                13  57                30              100 

Lawrence 1                  6  18                63                88 

Lincoln .5                46  76                40              167 

Runkle 4                17  19                49                89 

Pierce 2                30  76                98              206 

Total 14  127  277  405  823 


The  number  who  will  realize  their  expectation  educationally 
will  be  far  less  than  that  given  in  the  above  table;  even  should 
the  expectation  of  all  these  children  be  realized,  there  would  yet 
;be  418  out  of  823  not  entering  college.  We  know  the  proportion 
not  going  to  college  will  be  much  larger.  With  the  exception  of 
those  who  complete  the  commercial  course  these  children  must 
leave  school  with  no  adequate  preparation  for  their  life  work. 


The  School  of  Practical  Arts 


399 


CHAPTER  Xlli. 

A  DEMONSTRATION  SCHOOL 
FOR  BROOKLINE. 

As  a  result  of  an  educational  survey,  something  of  a  practical 
nature  should  follow,  not  only  in  the  matter  of  buildings,  organiza- 
tion and  general  directions  as  to  educational  policy,  but  in  ad- 
dition something  that  would  afford  a  continuous  opportunity 
to  test  and  demonstrate  the  best  things  capable  of  being  done  in 
the  town  of  Brookline  itself.  It  would  be  too  much  to  expect 
that  such  a  demonstration  could  be  carried  out  with  sufficient 
energy  in  every  school  at  once.  But  if  one  school  or  a  series 
of  classes  in  one  school  could  be  devoted  to  this  purpose,  new 
practices  in  teaching  could  be  demonstrated,  their  success  made 
clear  and  tested  in  the  strictest  scientific  manner,  and  the  op- 
portunity thus  provided  for  all  teachers  in  Brookline  to  observe 
the  results  obtained,  and  to  carry  them  out  in  their  own  classes 
at  the  discretion  of  the  authorities  in  charge. 

Such  a  demonstration  school  would  be  neither  a  model 
school,  on  one  hand,  nor  an  experimental  school,  on  the  other, 
although  it  might  fulfill  to  some  extent  the  functions  of  both. 
The  chief  role  of  such  a  school  would  be  to  demonstrate,  by  actual 
teaching,  practices  and  methods  of  getting  results  which  have 
already  been  experimented  upon  and  have  alread}^  jdelded  favor- 
able results.  The  whole  work  of  such  a  school  could  never  be 
regarded  as  an  ideal  or  model  set  up  for  imitation  by  other  schools. 
Only  those  practices  which  had  been  tested  out  in  a  completely 
objective,  scientific  manner,  and  the  details  of  which  had  been 
completely  recorded,  and  of  which  the  results  had  been  shown 
to  be  plainly  without  any  ambiguity,  could  reasonably  be  offered 
by  such  a  school  for  more  extended  application. 

An  example  of  the  way  in  which  this  conception  of  a  demon- 
stration school  could  be  carried  out  will  make  the  matter  clearer^ 

400 


A  Demonstration  School  for  Brookline  401 

The  Survey  has  shown  that  the  eighth  grade  pupils  of  BrookUne 
are  on  the  average  able  to  read  silently  at  the  rate  of  about  309 
words  a  minute  when  the  material  is  easy  to  comprehend.  Read- 
ing at  this  rate  the  pupils  are  able  to  report  on  the  average  about 
20  details  out  of  a  possible  35  from  the  material  read.  Ordinarily 
those  who  read  the  faster  are  on  the  whole  able  to  report  more 
details  than  those  who  read  slower,  since  they  have  covered  more 
ground.  The  faster  reader  has  either  less  difficulty  of  compre- 
hension or  less  mechanical  difficulty  in  perceiving  and  following 
the  words.  In  Brookhne,  however,  there  appears  to  be  no  con- 
nection between  speed  of  reading  and  ability  to  reproduce.  Since 
this  is  contrary  to  general  belief,  here  again  we  have  a  subject 
for  further  investigation. 

While  the  average  rate  of  reading  is  309  words  a  minute  for 
the  eighth  grade,  the  variations  are  very  large,  some  children 
reading  at  the  rate  of  130  words  a  minute,  and  others  at  over 
700  words  a  minute,  while  some  report  as  few  details  as  seven, 
although  others  can  report  as  many  as  30  details.  This  latter 
standard  is  above  what  is  found  to  be  the  average  capacity  for 
silent  reading  in  pupils  who  have  graduated  from  high  school. 

Tests  given  in  Boston  show  that  in  ability  to  read  the  news- 
paper—  the  people's  textbook  —  eighth  grade  pupils  are  far 
behind  the  average  of  high  sphool  graduates,  but  with  a  con- 
siderable overlapping  and  variation  in  individual  pupils.  This 
result  is  all  the  more  interesting  in  view  of  the  fact  that  reading, 
as  such,  is  not  specially  taught  in  the  high  school  course.  It  is 
evident  that  there  are  a  great  many  pupils  in  the  eighth  grade 
and  even  some  in  the  high  schools  who  must  read  the  newspaper 
with  such  slowness  and  difficulty  that  the  operation  can  give 
them  but  little  pleasure  or  satisfaction.  As  for  reading  of  a 
more  difficult  character,  they  are  at  a  still  greater  disadvantage. 
It  is  obvious  that  inability  to  read  easily  the  simple  text  of  a  daily 
newspaper  handicaps  an  individual  for  citizenship.  An  equality 
of  opportunity  no  longer  exists  between  him  and  the  more  efficient 
reader  for  getting  the  ideas  upon  which  our  life  as  a  community 
depends. 

The  facts  that  we  have  been  considering  show  that  there 


402  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

is  opportunity  enough  left  for  improving  the  reading  capacity 
of  pupils  of  the  eighth  grade.     This  would  be  true  of  the  average, 
and  particularly  true  of  the  lower  half  of  the  class,  many  of  whom 
read  no  better  than  pupils  in  the  fourth  and  fifth  grades.     To 
what  extent  they  can  be  improved  is  not  at  present   known. 
The  averages  which  are  obtained  from  tests  applied  in  different 
parts  of  the  country  are  remarkably  alike  and  generally  inde- 
p9ndent  of  the  time  devoted  to  teaching.     This  is  true  of  other 
subjects,  also,  such  as  Arithmetic  and  Spelling.     It  would  seem 
that  the  averages  obtained  are  not  really  norms,  but  may  very 
probably  be  like  the  average  death-rate  of  a  community  before 
proper   sanitary   measures   have   been   undertaken.     No   school 
syste-Ti   has  heretofore   undertaken  to   diagnose   the  individual 
pupils  in  a  class  as  to  their  capacity  to  read  silently  and  to  dis- 
cover what  are  the  causes  which  result  in  inefficient  reading. 
In  an  investigation  recently  made  it  was  shown  that  faulty  eye- 
movements  were  the  cause  in  over  50  per  cent  of  poor  readers. 
They  have  acquired  the  bad  habit  of  breaking  up  the  newspaper 
line  into  six  or  seven  portions,  taking  a  separate  look   at   every 
word  or  sometimes  at  separate  portions  of  the  same  line.     The}^ 
make  sure  that  the  word  is  really  there  upon  the  line  before 
going  on  to  the  next  word.     This,  however,  takes  time  and  en- 
grosses the  attention  to  the  exclusion  of  relationships  of  the  words 
and  the  general  meaning  of  phrases  and  larger  combinations. 
It  is  a  habit  which  has  sometimes  been  started  in  the  lower  grades 
and  under  the  influence  of  the  teacher  who  cautions  the  pupils 
to  be  sure  of  every  word.     Good  readers  have  an  entirely  different 
habit.     In  reading  a  newspaper  line  they  are  able  to  take  in  at 
one  glance  nearly  half  the  line.     Resting  on  this  for  about  a 
third  of  a  second  the  eye  jumps  to  the  next  section  of  the  line, 
and  finally  rests  for  a  moment  at  the  end.     These  facts  have  been 
found  by  photographing  the  movements  of  the  eyes  while  reading, 
and  no  reader  has  yet  been  found  who  makes  fewer  than  three 
stops   on   a   single   newspaper   fine.     Besides   seeing   the   words 
in  the  line,  however,  which  is  in  the  focus,  with  good  readers, 
the  eye  also  takes  in  a  word  or  so  further  up  or  further  down. 
A  word  which  is  registered  further  down  probably  serves  as  a 


A  Demonstration  School  for  Brookline   .         403 

headline  does,  to  suggest  what  is  coming  and  to  enable  the  reader 
to  understand  the  next  Kne  with  greater  rapidity.  Readers  of 
faulty  habits  of  eye-movements  associated  with  narrow  visual 
scope  can  in  most  cases  be  improved  rather, rapidly  by  practice 
with  a  machine  which  exposes  a  part  of  the  Kne  of  the  same 
length  as  that  seen  by  a  good  reader  and  covers  it  up  in  a  time 
which  can  be  gradated  or  geared  up  until  the  minimum  of  about 
one-third  of  a  second  is  obtained.  Practice  for  less  than  a  month 
has  been  shown  in  the  case  of  high  school  graduates  to  break 
up  the  fumbling  habit  and  to  increase  their  rate  of  reading  to 
above  the  average  of  the  class. 

There  are,  however,  other  faulty  mechanical  habits  which 
result  in  slow  and  inefficient  reading.  All  readers  pronounce 
to  some  extent  the  words  they  read,  good  readers  telescoping 
the  words  together  so  that  the  operation  takes  much  less  time 
than  a  perfect  pronunciation  would.  (This  fact  carries  with  it 
as  a  corollary  the  necessity  of  special  teaching  in  oral  speech, 
particularly  for  fast  readers.)  Slow  readers  not  only  pronounce 
the  words  mentally  more  completely,  but  they  often  actually 
move  some  part  of  the  vocal  apparatus.  They  have  frequently 
been  prevented  in  the  lower  grades  from  moving  their  lips,  but 
this  does  not  prevent  them  from  moving  the  tongue  behind  the 
teeth,  and  thus  tying  their  reading  to  the  rate  at  which  they 
could  read  aloud. 

Besides  defective  mechanical  habits,  however,  there  is  a 
class  of  inefficient  readers  (about  30  per  cent)  who  are  so  because 
they  do  not  readily  comprehend  the  ideas  of  the  text  they  are 
reading.  Especially  when  any  word  of  even  a  sUghtly  abstract 
character  makes  its  appearance  they  delay  for  some  fraction  of 
a  second  longer  than  is  necessary  for  a  faster  reader.  When  these 
pupils  are  asked  to  give  the  associations  that  come  to  their  minds 
in  connection  with  such  a  word,  it  is  found  that  their  responses 
are  comparatively  slow  as  well  as  meager.  This  is  not  a  fault 
that  can  be  corrected  so  quickly  as  can  a  deficiency  in  mechanical 
habit.  It  represents  a  lack  of  understanding,  but  not  necessarily 
a  native  defect  of  intelligence.  This  class  of  poor  readers  have 
not  obtained  from  their  past  experience  either  in  school  or  at 


404         School  Sukvey  of  Brookline 

home  familiarity  with  conceptions  which  are  commonplaces 
with  more  efficient  readers. 

Special  instruction,  special  reading  and  discussion  along  the 
lines  indicated  by  the  words  at  which  they  hesitate  would  seem 
to  be  the  treatment  needed  in  order  to  advance  these  individuals. 
It  is  obvious,  however,  that  the  same  Hst  of  words  would  also 
throw  a  hght  on  the  kind  of  requirements  and  class  of  ideas 
necessary  for  discussions  in  the  grades  below  the  eighth,  if  the 
school  is  to  prevent  the  recurrence  of  similar  deficiencies  in  later 
years.  In  order  to  supplement  such  a  Ust  of  words,  frequency 
tables  of  words  occurring  in  the  daily  newspapers  and  other  simple 
texts  should  be  made.  Those  words  occurring  with  the  greatest 
frequency,  when  properly  classified  under  their  respective  sub- 
jects, geography,  history,  civics,  etc.,  represent  the  ideas  which 
the  pupil  should  be  the  most  famiUar  with  in  the  lower  grades. 
Such  a  frequency  table  would  form  a  control  (although  not  the 
only  one)  for  the  material  taught  in  these  grades. 

As  a  consideration  of  the  facts  just  enumerated  indicates, 
the  first  essential  in  a  demonstration  school  would  be  a  scientific 
analysis  of  the  situation.  This  presupposes,  in  the  first  place, 
that  each  individual  should  be  diagnosed  in  respect  to  his  present 
ability  in  the  subject  which  is  required  to  be  taught,  and  the 
causes  for  his  present  condition  carefully  determined.  In  the 
second  place,  the  ability  of  the  normal  adult  or  at  least  of  the 
high  school  graduate  in  the  same  subject  should  also  be  determined. 

There  still  remains  the  important  question  of  method,  or 
ways  and  means,  organization  and  incentive  that  will  inspire 
the  pupil  to  move  with  reasonable  rapidity  towards  a  sufficient 
mastery  of  the  subject  to  be  learned. 

The  keynote  of  this  method  would  probably  be  found  in  the 
active  co-operation  of  the  pupil.  The  tests  will  show  him  where 
he  is  and  how  far  he  must  go  before  he  is  able  to  read  an  easy 
text  hke  the  newspaper  with  pleasure  as  well  as  profit.  Small 
groups  of  pupils  might  be  formed  or  teams  composed  of  pupils 
with  similar  difficulties.  They  should  learn  to  test  themselves 
in  rate  of  reading  and  power  to  reproduce,  at  least  in  the  higher 
grades.     They  should  make  out  fists  of  words  over  which  they 


A  Demonstration  School  for  Brookline  405 

hesitate  and  discuss  the  meaning  of  those  words  with  one  another. 
Besides  this  they  should  find  easy  material  in  which  they  are 
interested  and  which  they  can  read  fluently  and  with  enjoyment. 
They  should  tell  one  another  verbally  what  they  have  read,  and 
make  it  comprehensible  and  interesting  to  their  hearers.  The 
teacher  should  keep  in  touch  with  these  activities,  which  should 
be  largely  organized  by  the  pupils  themselves.  The  school- 
room would  come  to  have  the  aspect  of  a  laboratory  or  a  shop 
for  which  directions  could  be  issued  beforehand  to  groups  and 
to  individuals,  but  in  which  pupils  would  be  working  according 
to  their  capacities,  not  singly,  but  with  the  stimulus  of  helpful 
comradeship,  and  with  a  clear  understanding  of  what  they  are 
working  for. 

It  would  be  no  part  of  the  policy  of  a  demonstration  school 
to  proceed  on  any  method  without  frequently  testing  the  results 
obtained  and  comparing  them  with  results  found  when  neither 
special  diagnosis  nor  differentiated  and  self-active  methods  had 
been  employed.  It  would  only  be  when  higher  averages  and 
lessened  retardation  could  be  demonstrated  that  the  procedure 
employed  could  be  recommended  to  other  schools. 

What  has  thus  been  roughly  sketched  as  a  possibility  in  the 
subject  of  silent  reading  should  be  carried  out  with  the  other 
subjects  of  the  school  program.  One  subject  should  not  be 
worked  out  at  the  expense  of  others. 

In  arriving  at  a  greater  abihty  in  reading,  for  example,  more 
time  or  greater  mphasis  should  not  be  required.  Advantage 
should,  however,  be  taken  of  the  correlation  or  overlapping  of 
subjects.  Like  processes  should  be  learned  and  practiced  to- 
gether although  they  may  occur  in  subjects  given  a  different 
name.  A  great  deal  of  Grammar  and  Composition,  for  example, 
can  easily  form  part  of  the  subject  of  Reading.  During  the  most 
of  the  grades  it  would  seem  reasonable  that  the  three  R's  should 
receive  the  greatest  attention.  As  we  have  already  seen  in  the 
case  of  Reading,  when  properly  understood  this  subject  covers 
a  very  large  part  not  only  of  an  elementary  education  but  of  any 
education  whatsoever. 


406  School  Survey  of  Brooklike 

The  means  of  diagnosis,  the  results  to  be  arrived  at  and  the 
methods  to  be  employed  are  not  the  only  features  to  be  considered 
in  the  estabhshment  of  such  a  demonstration  school.  The  task 
of  organizing  such  work  in  any  school  presents  a  problem  which 
is  by  no  m^eans  easy  for  a  teacher  who  has  not  seen  such  a  schem.e 
in  practice.  It  would  be  necessary,  therefore,  to  select  a  certain 
number  of  teachers  by  transfer  or  otherwise,  who  would  be  in 
sympathy  with  such  an  undertaking  and  capable  of  carrying  it 
out,  and  to  provide  them  with  an  expert  of  sufficient  experience 
who  could  not  only  test  scientifically  but  institute  and  guide  the 
kind  of  organization  which  would  be  required.  The  principal 
of  a  school  who  has  in  charge  a  great  deal  of  detail  could  not  be 
expected  to  add  such  responsibihties  to  his  duties.  The  relation 
of  such  an  expert  to  the  school  system  would' he  like  that  which 
has  already  been  found  to  work  successfully  in  scientific  manage- 
ment in  factories.  The  change  in  organization  is  made  slowly, 
no  violent  or  radical  transformation  being  suddenly  attempted. 
The  superintendent  of  the  factory  and  the  manager  are  needed 
as  much  as  ever  while  these  changes  are  under  way.  The  expert 
or  '^ scientific  manager"  does  not  need  to  be  on  the  ground  con- 
tinuously. His  services  for  one  day  a  week  for  three  years  or 
more  are  frequently  found  to  be  the  best  arrangement  to  put  the 
factory  on  a  new  and  more  profitable  basis.  It  would  seem 
that  a  similar  arrangement  would  be  found  to  be  the  most  prac- 
ticable also  for  an  educational  institution.  At  the  beginning 
it  would  be  likely  that  extensive  transfers  of  teachers  would  not 
be  necessary.  It  would  probably  be  better  for  the  first  year  to 
get  half  a  dozen  grades  well  estabhshed  before  extending  the 
work  throughout  the  rest  of  the  school. 

As  for  the  grades  that  are  taken,  those  of  the  Junior  High 
School  or  perhaps  the  fourth,  fifth,  sixth,  seventh  and  eighth 
grades  would  yield  the  readiest  returns,  since  the  pupils  in  these 
grades  are  more  capable  of  individuahzed  and  co-operative  work 
than  those  of  the  lower  grades,  while  on  the  other  hand  they 
are  not  subject  to  the  special  and  sometimes  artificial  require- 
ments necessary  for  entrance  to  higher  institutions. 


A  Demonstration  School  for  Brookline  407 

Besides  the  expert  and  the  selected  teachers  there  ought 
also  to  be  provided  one  extra  teacher  or  clerk  for  the  purpose 
of  making  elaborate  records  of  everything  that  is  done.  Tabula- 
tions should  be  made  and  charts  prepared,  photographs  of  work 
as  it  is  going  on,  and  descriptions  of  the  work  should  be  obtained. 
Further  than  this  the  parents  should  be  interviewed  as  to  their 
plans  and  prospects  for  the.  children  and  as  to  their  observation 
of  the  nature  and  character  of  the  child;  a  work  which  would 
also  result  in  a  sort  of  social  survey  of  the  neighborhood  of  the 
school.  Everything  should  be  done  to  make  the  activities  of 
the  conmiunity  dovetail  into  the  activities  going  on  in  the  school. 
Parents  should  be  invited  to  evening  meetings  in  which  photo- 
graphic slides  of  schoolroom  activities  could  be  observed  and 
explained.  The  methods  of  procedure  and  the  results  obtained 
should  be  made  perfectly  plain  first  of  all  to  the  parents  concerned. 

From  time  to  time  certain  classes  in  other  schools  might  be 
chosen  to  try  out  some  plan.  Teachers  would  be  invited  to- 
suggest  plans  which  they  would  like  to  try  out  under  expert, 
advice.  Thus  the  whole  force  would  benefit  by  the  opportunity 
for  participation  in  a  scientifically  conducted  enterprise  eveni 
.before  results  of  general  validity  were  secured.  Teachers  would! 
feel  that  their  help  in  the  general  research  work  of  the  school 
system  was  desired  and  valued. 

In  some  cities  bureaus  for  educational  measurements  have 
been  added  to  the  equipment  as  a  result  of  educational  surveys. 
However  useful  such  bureaus  may  be,  they  leave  a  great  deal 
to  be  desired  in  the  fine  of  positive  reconstruction  of  educational 
effort.  It  is  obvious  that  a  demonstration  school  such  as  is  here 
suggested  rather  than  fully  outlined  would  not  only  provide 
measurements  for  the  school  itself  but  would  make  these  measure- 
ments of  some  use  in  producing  more  favorable  results,  and  in 
finally  establishing  not  mere  averages  but  norms  capable  of 
being  used  as  demonstrated  standards  for  the  guidance  of  other- 
schools.  It  would  seem  that  a  progressive  community  like  that 
of  Brookline  could  well  afford  to  take  the  lead  in  such  a  matter, 
and  contribute  something  of  value  not  only  for  itself  but  for  the 
benefit  of  education  throughout  the  country  at  large. 


APPENDIX 


APPENDIX  TABLE  NO.  1. 

Nativity  of  the  Population  of  Cities  of  25,000  to  31,000 
Population  in  United  States,  1910. 


Native  White ^ 

Foreign 
or  Mixed 
Parentage 
41.9 


Native 
Cities  Parentag 

1.  Shenandoah,  Pa 17.5 

2.  Niagara  FaUs,  N.  Y 25.4  34.1 

3.  Chicopee,  Mass 18.2  42.2 

4.  Lorain,  Ohio 29.3  31 .6 

5.  Lewiston,  Me 31.2  32.7 

6.  Nashua,  N.  H 32.9  32.6 

7.  Warwick  Town,  R.  I 28.4  37 .0 

8.  Sheboygan,  Wis 20.3  46.8 

9.  Stamford,  Conn 32.2  34.3 

10.  New  Rochelle,  N.  Y 29.7  34.1 

11.  Brookline,  Mass 4i -8  27.3 

12.  Norwich,  Conn 31.1  36.8 

13.  South  Omaha,  Neb . 32.4  34.4 

14.  Meriden,  Conn 27.0  43.0 

15.  Waltham,  Mass 37. 1  35.0 

16.  Orange,  N.  J 28.2  36.2 

17.  Mt.  Vernon,  N.  Y 37.0  34.1 

18.  Hazleton,  Pa 33.2  43.1 

19.  Watertown,  N.  Y 49.1  27.1 

20.  Newport,  R.  1 36.3  34.6 

■21.  Aurora,  111 41.0  35.5 

22.  Elgin,  111 39.8  37.7 

23.  San  Jose,  Cal 45.5  31 .3 

24.  La  Crosse,  Wis ,..*...  33.4  46.5 

25.  Clinton,  Iowa 44.4  34.8 

26.  Ogden,  Utah 45.4  34.7 

27.  Newburgh,  N.  Y 50.7  29.8 

28.  Madison,  Wis 42.5  40.2 

29.  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y 54.7  26.6 

50.  Green  Bay,  Wis 35.6  47.9 

408 


Foreign 
Born 
White 
40.6 
39.6 
39.5 
37.8 
35.9 
34.4 
33.8 
32.8 
32.1. 
30.1 
30.0 
29.8 
29.8 
29.5 
27.6 
27.2 
26.0 
23.6 
23.4 
23.0 
22.5 
21.8 
20.1 
19.9 
19.1 
17.4 
17.3 
16.3 
16.2 
16.1 


Negro 

.0 

.9 

.0 

1.3 

.2 

.1 

.6 

.0 

1.3 

6.1 

.8 

2.2 

2.7- 

.5 

.2 

8.4 

2.9 

.1 

.3 

5.9 

1.0 

.7 

.6 

.2 

1.7 

.8 

2.2 


Appendix 


409 


APPENDIX  TABLE  NO.   1  —  Continued 

' Native  White ^ 

Foreign 

Native  or  Mixed 

Cities                                      Parentage  Parentage 

31.  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa 57.7  26.2 

32.  Norristown,  Pa 61 .7  20.2 

33.  Pasadena,  Cal 62.8  19.4 

34.  Bloomington,  111 56.8  26.8 

35.  Kingston,  N.  Y 57.0  27.4 

36.  Newport,  Ky 51.2  35.6 

37.  Easton,  Pa 71.4  16.6 

38.  Battle  Creek,  Mich 69.3  18.1 

39.  Colorado  Springs,  Co^.o 67.4  18.4 

40.  Waterloo,  Iowa 65 .9  23 .9 

41.  Austin,  Tex 53.2  13,5 

42.  Newark,  Ohio 75.1  15.4 

43.  Danville,  111 70.0  17.5 

44.  ZanesviUe,  Ohio 74.5  14.8 

45.  Lima,  Ohio 76.9  14.6 

46.  Waco,  Tex 63.3  8.7 

47.  Muskogee,  Okla 60.1  5.6 

48.  Columbia,  S.  C 51.9  2.5 

49.  Wilmington,  N.  C 48.2  3.0 

50.  Lynchburg,  Va 63.5  2.8 


Foreign 
Born 

White 

Negro 

14.6 

1.1 

14.4 

3.6 

14.2 

2.5 

13.2 

3.1 

13.1 

2.4 

11.2 

1.9 

10.9 

1.0 

10.4 

2.3 

10.3 

3.8 

10.1 

.1 

8.2 

25.0 

8.1 

1.4 

7.2 

5.3 

5.7 

4.9 

5.3 

3.2 

4.9 

23.0 

2.1 

31.0 

1.7 

43.9 

1.7 

47.0 

1.5 

32.1 

410  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

APPENDIX  TABLE  NO.  2. 

Percentage  of  Population  According  to  Age  in  All  Cities 
Between  25,000  and  31,000,  1910. 

Cities  5  to  14  Under  15 

1.  Hazleton,  Pa 22.7  35.5 

2.  Shenandoah,  Pa 21 .9.  37. 1 

3.  Green  Bay,  Wis 20.6  32.3 

4.  Waco,  Tex 20.2  29.9 

5.  Ogden,  Utah 20. 1  32. 1 

6.  Warwick  (Town),  R.  I 19.9  30.4 

7.  South  Omaha,  Neb 19.9  32.0 

8.  Chicopee,  Mass 19.8  33 . 1 

9.  Sheboygan,  Wis 19.6  30.5 

10.  Orange,  N.  J 18.7  29.8 

11.  Lewiston,  Me 18.7  28.5 

12.  Austin,  Tex.  . 18.6  27.3 

■  13.  Meriden,  Conn 18.4  28.0 

14.  Lorain,  Ohio 18.4  31.9 

15.  Wihnington,  N.  C 18.4  29.4 

16.  Mt.  Vernon,  N.  Y 18.4  28.3 

17.  La  Crosse,  Wis 18.2  26.9 

18.  Lynchburg,  Va 18.1  28.6 

19.  New  Rochelle,  N.  Y 18.0  28.8 

20.  Stamford,  Conn 17.9  28.9 

21.  Council  Bluffs,  la 17.9  27.2 

22.  Danville,  lU 17.8  26.8 

23.  Shreveport,  La 17.7  26.8 

24.  Lima,  Ohio 17.6  27.1 

25.  Norwich,  Conn - 17.6  26.7 

26.  Columbia,  S.C " 17.5  27.3 

27.  Nashua,  N.  H..  .  . 17.5  27.2 

28.  Newport,  Ky 17.3  26.3 

29.  Kingston,  N.  Y 17.1  25.3 

30.  Clinton,  la 16.9  25.3 

31.  Muskogee,  Okla 16.6  25.9 

32.  Newburgh,  N.  Y 16.6  24.4 

33.  Aurora,  111..  . 16.4  25.2 

34.  Waltham,  Mass 16.4  24.4 

35.  Newark,  Ohio 16.2  24.6 

36.  Easton,  Pa 16.0  24.7 

37.  Niagara  Falls,  N.  Y 15.9  26.7 

38.  Colorado  Springs,  Colo 15.9  23.2 

39.  Waterloo,  la 15.7  25.2 


Appendix 


411 


APPENDIX  TABLE  NO.  2  — Continued 

5  to  14  Under  15 

40.  Elgin,  Dl 15.7  23.0 

41.  Madison,  Wis 15.5  24.3 

42.  Bloomington,  111 15.5  23.5 

43.  Zanesville,  Ohio 15.4  24.2 

44.  Watertown,  N.  Y 15.1  23.7 

45.  Norristown,  Pa 15.0  23.4 

46.  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y 15.0  23.3 

47.  Newport,  R.  1 14.9  23.1 

48.  San  Jose,  Cal 14. C  22.2 

49.  Battle  Creek,  Mich.  .  .• 13.9  21 .9 

50.  Pasadena,  Cal 13.6  20.3 

51.  Brookline,  Mass 12.9  19.3 


APPENDIX  TABLE  NO.  3. 

Percentage  of  Population  According  to  Age  in  12 
Selected  Cities. 

Cities                                                                           5  to  14  Under  15 

1.  Yonkers,  N.  Y 18.8  30.1 

2.  New  Rochelle,  N.  Y , 18.0  28.8 

3.  Boston,  Mass 16.7  26.2 

4.  Newton,  Mass 16.7  25.4 

5.  Springfield,  Mass 15.9  25.2 

6.  Colorado  Springs,  Colo 15.9  23 . 2 

7.  Madison,  Wis 15.5  24.3 

8.  Berkeley,  Cal 14.7  22.7 

9.  Pasadena,  Cal 13.6  20.3 

10.  San  Diego,  Cal 13.4  20.2 

11.  Los  Angeles,  Cal 13.0  20.1 

12.  Brookline,  Mass 12.9  19.3 


412 


School  Survey  of  Brookline 


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Appendix 


413 


APPENDIX  TABLE  NO.  5. 

Estimated  Number  of  Taxables,  Paying  Various  Amounts 

OF  Taxes,  upon  Various  Amounts  of  Property,  in 

BROOKLINE,  Mass. 

1915.* 


Amount  of 

Value  of 

Number  of 

Per  Cent 

Estimated 

Taxes 

Property 

Taxables 

of  Total 

Number  of 

'  Paid 

(Lower  Amount) 

Counted 

Counted 

Taxables 

1 

2 

3 

4 

6 

Less  than 

$25 

341 

25.64 

844- 

25-49 

$1,773.50 

154 

11.58 

381 

50-74 

3,547.00 

96 

7.22 

238 

75-99 

5,320.50 

55 

4.14 

136 

100-124 

.    7,094.00 

84 

6.32 

208 

125-149 

8,865.50 

88 

6.62 

2ia 

150-174 

10,639.00 

74 

5.57 

18a 

175-199 

12,412.50 

50 

3.77 

124 

200-224 

14,188.00 

46 

3.45 

114 

225-249 

15,961.50 

31 

2.33 

77 

250-274 

17,735.00 

29 

2.18 

72 

275-299 

19,508.50 

25 

1.88 

62 

300-324 

21,282.00 

18 

1.35 

44 

325-349 

23,055.50 

8 

.60 

20 

350-374 

24,829.00 

16 

1.20 

39 

375-399 

26,602.50 

16 

1.20 

39 

400-424 

28,376.00 

18 

1.35 

45 

425-449 

30,149.50 

16 

1.20 

39 

450-474 

31,923.00 

11 

.83 

29 

475-499 

33,696.50 

6 

.45 

15 

500-524 

35,470.00 

8 

.60 

20 

525-549 

37,243.50 

8 

.60 

20 

550-574 

39,017.00 

9 

.67 

22 

575-599 

40,790.50 

7 

.52 

17 

600-624 

42,564.00 

7 

.52 

17 

625-649 

44,337.50 

1 

.07 

2 

650-674 

46,111.00 

1 

.07 

2 

675-699 

47,884.50 

5 

.38 

13 

700-724 

49,658.00 

9 

.67 

22 

725-749 

51,431.50 

5 

.37 

12 

750-774 

53,205.00 

1 

.07 

2 

775-799 

54,978.50 

0 

0 

0 

414 


School  Survey  of  Brookline 


APPENDIX  TABLE  NO.  5  — Continued 


Amount  of 
Taxes 
Paid 
1 
15800-824 
825-849 
850-874 
875-899 
900-924 
925-949 
^50-974 
975-999 

1000-1499 

1500-1999 

2000 
3000 
4000 
5000 
6000 
7000 
8000 
9000 

Total 


Value  of 

Number  of 

Per  Cent 

Estimated 

Property 

Taxables 

of  Total 

Number  of 

{Lower  Amount) 

Counted 

Counted 

Taxables 

2 

3 

4 

5 

$56,752.00 

d 

.45 

15 

58,525.50 

5 

.37 

12 

60,299.00 

1 

.07 

2 

62,072.50 

8 

.6 

20 

63,846.00 

2 

.15 

5 

65,619.50 

4 

.31 

10 

67,393.00 

2 

.15 

5 

69,166.50 

1 

.07 

2 

f     70,940.00 

32 

.24 

79 

\  106,389.00 

\  106,390.00 

7 

.52 

17 

141,879.00 

141,880.00 

13 

.98 

32 

212,820.00 

1 

.07 

2 

283,760.00 

2 

.15 

5 

354,700.00 

1 

.07 

2 

425,640.00 

2 

.15 

'    5 

496,580.00 

0 

0 

0 

567,520.00 

0 

0 

0 

638,460.00 

1 

.07 

2 

1330 


100.00 


3290 


*This  table  was  prepared  in  following  manner  from  "List  of  Polls  and 
Property  Assessed  in  the  Town  of  Brookline,  Mass.,  for  the  Year  1915." 
Column  3,  the  first  derived,  was  obtained  by  using  the  first  five  names  upon 
each  of  the  266  pages.  Column  4  was  then  computed,  and  upon  the  basis  of 
these  percentages  the  3290  persons  paying  property  taxes  were  distributed  in 
Column  5.  Column  2  was  inserted  later.  The  amounts  of  property  are  for 
the  lower  limit  of  each  step,  $25,  $50,  $75,  etc. 


Appendix  415 

APPENDIX  TABLE  NO.  6. 
Assessed  Valuation  per  Capita,  1912,  in  all  Cities  having 
FROM  25,000  TO  31,000  Population  in  1915  —  from  Census 
Report  on  Wealth,  Debt  and  Taxation,  1913,  page  841. 


Valitation 

Cities  per  Capita 

1.  South  Omaha,  Neb $983 .91 

2.  BrooUine,  Mass ! 3,659.92 

3.  Pasadena,  Cal 1,171.35 

4.  Newport,  R.  1 1,862.01 

5.  New  Rochelle,  N.  Y 1,072.97 

6.  Shreveport,  La 522 .  11 

7.  Madison,  Wis 1,356.09 

8.  Wilmington,  N.  C 472.97 

9.  Lynchburg,  Va 1,104.31 

10.  Columbia,  S.  C 359.25 

11.  Waco,  Tex 937.08 

12.  Muskogee,  Okla 1,032 .78 

13.  Lorain,  Ohio 1,370.92 

14.  Stamford,  Conn '. . .  1,193.31 

15.  Mt.  Vernon,  N.  Y 1,044.71 

16.  Ogden,  Utah 503.28 

17.  Colorado  Springs,  Colo 400.77 

18.  Danville,  111 388.68 

19.  Niagara  Falls,  N.  Y 1,029.40 

20.  Battle  Creek,  Mich 770.52 

21.  San  Jose,  Cal 648.61 

-22.  Shenandoah,  Pa 116.28 

23.  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y 763.76 

24.  Newark,  Ohio 1,006.02 

25.  Waltham,  Mass 993.29 

26.  Warwick,  R.  1 975.12 

27.  Bloomington,  111 318.73 

28.  Elgin,  111 317.65 

29.  Lima,  Ohio 936.38 

30.  Austin,  Tex 687.82 

31.  Easton,  Pa 639.01 

32.  Norristown,  Pa 434.79 

33.  Nashua,  N.  H 846.53 

34.  Aurora,  111 277 .63 

35.  La  Crosse,  Wis 656.03 

56.  Meriden,  Conn 424. 19 

37.  Lewiston,  Me 632 .  63 


Basis  of 

True 

Assessment 

Valuation 

20 

$4,919.55 

100 

3,659.63 

49 

2,390.51 

100 

1,862.01 

60 

1,788.30 

30 

1,740.37 

80 

1,695.11 

30 

1,576.56 

75 

1,472.15 

25 

1,437.00 

67 

1,398.63 

75 

1,377.04 

100 

1,370.92 

90  ' 

1,325.90 

80 

1,305.90 

40 

1,258.02 

33 

1,202.31 

33 

1,166.04 

90 

1,143.78 

75 

1,094.03 

60 

1,081.07 

70 

1,023.26 

75 

1,018.34 

100 

1,006.02 

100 

993.29 

100 

975.12 

33 

956.19 

33 

952.95 

100 

936.38 

75 

917.09 

70 

912.86 

50 

869.58 

100 

846.53 

33 

832.89 

80 

820.04 

90 

804.65 

80 

790.80 

416 


School  Survey*  of  Brookline 


APPENDIX  TABLE  NO.  6  — Continued 

Assessed 

Valuation  Basis  of          True 

Cities                                               per  Capita  Assess7nent    Valuation 

38.  Watertown,  N.  Y $563. 62  75  $751 .49 

39.  Sheboygan,  Wis 576.85  80  719.22 

40.  Norwich,  Conn 630.06  90  700.07 

41.  Waterloo,  Iowa 172.67  25  690.68 

42.  Green  Bay,  Wis 633 .04  80  689. 13 

43.  Orange,  N.  J 682.85  100  682.85 

44.  Newport,  Ky 508.49  75  657.98 

45.  Kingston,  N.  Y 452.97  75  603.96 

46.  Council  Bluffs,  la 150.66  25  602.64 

47.  Chicoree,  Mass 555.33  100  .555.33 

48.  Newburgh,  N.  Y 416.01  75  554.68 

49.  Hazleton,  Pa 342.20  70  488.86 

50.  Jonesville,  Ohio 944.66  100  944.66 

51.  Clinton,  Iowa 122.34  25  489.36 


APPENDIX  TABLE  NO.  7. 
Distribution  of  Expenses  of  Municipal  Governments. 


Cities 


a 

T5 

sK 

a 

o 

>. 

S 

■35 

S  o 

III 

Ssg 

si 
II 

CO 

fllPLlPL, 

K 

o 

^ 


Berneley,  Cal 

Pasadena,  Cal 

San  Diego,  Cal 

Colorado  Springs,  Colo . 

Brookline,  Mass 

Newton,  Mass 

Springfield,  Mass 

East  Orange,  N.  J 

New  Rochelle,  N.  Y. .  . 
Yonkers,  N.  Y 


8.3 
7.5 
2.7 
9.7 
6.9 
6.9 
5.3 
7.0 
12.9 
12.0 


18.8 
12.6 
23.0 
14.5 
23.3 
15.9 
23.0 
18.3 
15.0 
22.4 


5.1 

8.6 

6.7 

5.9 

12.0 

11.6 

9.8 

13.0 

10.3 

13.9 


8.8 
14.4 
16.0 
14.8 
18.7 
13.4 
12.5 
13.0 
12.1 
11.6 


1.2 
1.0 

.6 
2.0 
3.3 
3.6 
1.3 
4.1 
6.1 


53.5 
46.3 
33.9 
44.2 
23.8 
35.5 
33.6 
41.5 
38.1 
30.8 


2.4 
2.5 
1.7 
1.4 
3.0 
2.8 
2.6 
2.5 
1.7 
.6 


1.8 
5.7 
6.0 
6.3 
8.9 
8.8 
3.9 
2.2 
4.5 
1.2 


.1 

1.5 

3.6 

.5 

4 

8 

5 

2 

1 

2 


Cities  having  population 
of  50,000 


21.2 


8.7 


13.2 


3.8 


38.5 


1.5 


2.7 


1. 


Boston,  Mass.  .  . 
Los  Angeles,  Cal 


9.6 
12.6 


20.9 
15.9 


11.4 
6.6 


11.4 
17.5 


9.4 
5.0 


25.3 
35.0 


1.8 
1.3 


6.0 
3.0 


4.1 
3.1 


Per  Cent  Distribution  of  Expenses. 
Rank  of  Brookline |     9     |     1     |     4     |     1     |  6     |  11 


Appendix 


417 


APPENDIX  TABLE  NO.  8. 

Number  and   Per   Cent  of  Pupils  Who  Are    Over   Ace, 
Normal  Age  and  Under  Age  by  Schools  1916-17. 


Building 

Total 

Under 

Age 

Normal 
Age 

Over 
Age 

Per 
Cent 
Under 

Age 

Per 

Cent 

Normal 

Age 

Per 
Cent 
Over 

Age 

Devotion    .  . 

577 

10 

327 

465 

44 

83 

651 

204 

402 

203 

62 

52 

49   ■ 

1 

3 

7 

1 

2 
25 

6 
27 
14 

2 

1 

236 
5 

104 

154 
36 
55 

277 
84 

156 
79 
25 
14 

292 

4 

220 

304 

7 

26 

349 

114 

219 

110 

35 

37 

8.5 

10.0 
.9 
2.0 
2.0 
3.0 
4.0 
3.0 
7.0 
6.0 
3.0 
2.0 

41 
50 
32 
33 
82 
66 
42 
41 
29 
39 
40 
27 

50  5 

Newton 

40.0 

Heath     

67.1 

Lincoln 

65.0 

Parsons 

16.0 

Sewall . 

31  0 

Pierce 

54.0 

Driscoll 

56.0 

Runkle 

54.0 

Lawrence 

55.0 

Cabot . 

57  0 

Longwood 

71.0 

Total 

3080 

138 

1225 

1717 

5.0 

40 

55.0 

APPENDIX  TABLE  NO.  9. 

Nlthber  and  Per  Cent  of  Pupils  Making  Rapid,   Normal 
AND  Slow  Progress  by  Schools  1916-17. 


Building 

Accel- 
erated 
Progress 

Normal 
Progress 

Retarded 
Progress 

Normal 
Progress 
and  Age 

Accel- 
erated 
Progress 
Per 
Cent 

Per 

Cent 
Normal 
Prog- 
ress 

Retard- 
ed Prog- 
ress 
Per 
Cent 

Devotion 

Newton 

81 
0 

10 
0 
0 

1 

28 
16 
76 
22 
33 
0 

390 

10 

189 

339 

41 

65 

436 

170 

281 

147 

45 

36 

106 
0 

128 

126 

3 

17 

187 

18 

45 

34 

14 

16 

204 

5 

85 

151 
36 
55 

268 
76 

122 
67 
24 
14 

14 
0 
3 
0 
0 
1 
4 
8 
19 
11 
5 
0 

68 
100 

58 
73 
93 
78 
67 
83 
70 
73 
72 
69 

18 

0 

Heath 

39 

Lincoln 

Parsons 

Sewall 

27 

7 

21 

Pierce. ... 

29 

Driscoll 

9 

Runkle 

Lawrence 

Cabot 

11 
16 
23 

Longwood.  .    . 

31 

All  schools 

237 

2149 

694 

1117 

8 

69 

23 

418  School  Sukvey  of  Brookline 

The  following  tables  show  the  results  in  the  Standard  Tests 
by  section,  grade  and  school. 

The  scores  are  in  terms  of  the  medians,  except  in  the  case  of 
the  spelling  tests,  where  the  averages  are  used. 

The  median  or  average  variation  of  each  score  is  given  in 
parentheses  below  it.  These  variations  mark  the  limits  within 
which  approximately  half  of  the  scores  fall.  For  example,  a 
median  of  60  with  a  variation  of  five  means  that  half  of  the  individ- 
ual scores  fall  between  55  ajid  65. 

TABLE  NO.   10. 
Number  of  Pupils  Tested. 

Grade  Grade  Grade  Grade  Grade 

School  IV  V  VI  VII  VIII 

Devotion 38    41  22     33  34     33  25     26  33     27 

Combined 79                55  67  51                60 

Driscoll 30                26 

Heath 37                38  38  34                30 

Lawrence 43                44  35  29                26 

Lincoln 35    26  29    28  31     30  27    29  27     26 

Combined 61                57  61  56                53 

Pierce 39    34  26    34  40    41  26     26    28    3136 

Combined 73                60  81  80                67 

Runkle ..  29    30  30    29 

Combined 37                40  59  59                45 

All  schools 360              320  341  309              281 

These  figures  express  the  maximum  number  of  pupils  tested.  Because 
of  absences,  the  actual  number  of  papers  obtained  in  a  single  test  was  often 
one  or  two  less  than  the  number  appearing  in  the  table. 


Appendix 


419 


TABLE  NO.  11. 

Median  Age  by  Grades. 

Grade  Grade  Grade  Grade 

School                       IV  V  VI  VII 

Devotion 10     10  11     11  12     12  13     12 

(1)    (0)  (0)    (1)  (0)    (1)  (1)    (1) 

Combined 10  11  12  13 

(1)  (1)  (1)  (1) 

Driscoll 10  11 

(0)  (1) 

Heath 10  12  13  14 

(1)  (1)  (1)  (1) 
Lawrence 10  11  12  13 

(0)  (1)  (0)  (1) 
Lincoln 10     10  12     12  13     13  13     14? 

(1)    (1)  (1)    (1)  (1)    (1)  (1)    (0) 

Combined 10  12  13  14? 

(1)  (1)  (1)  (1) 
Pierce , 10     10  11     12?       12     12  13     13     13 

(1)    (1)  (1)    (1)  (1)    (1)  (0)    (1)    (0) 

Combined 10  11  12  13 

(1)  (1)  (1)  (1) 

Runkle 12     12  13     13 

(1)    (1)  (1)    (0) 

Combined 10  11  12  13 

(1)  (0)  (1)  (1) 

AU  schools 10  11  12  13 

(1)  (1)  (1)  (1) 


Grade 
VIII 
14     14 

(1)   (1> 
14 

(1) 


15 

(1) 

14 

(0) 
15     15 
(1)   (1) 

15 

(1) 
14     14 

(1)   (1> 
14 

(1) 


14 

(1) 
14 

(1) 


The  figures  in  this  table  express  the  median  ages  of  the  pupils  by  grades, 
the*age  being  taken  as  that  at  the  nearest  birthday.  A  question  mark  after 
ajmedian  indicates  that  the  age  was  very  close  to  the  next  year  below. 


420  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

TABLE  NO.  12. 
Courtis  Arithmetic  Tests. 

(a)  Speed  of  Addition. 

Grade  Grade 

School  V  VI 

Devotion 7        9  7        8 

(2)      (2)  (1)      (2) 

Combined 8  S 

(2)  (2) 

Driscoll 7 

(1) 
Heath 9  10 

(1)  (2) 
Lawrence 10  8 

(2)  (2) 
Lincoln 9        8                8        8 

(2)      (2)  (2)      (1) 

Combined S  8 

(2)  (2) 

Pierce 8        6  8        9 

(1)      (1)  (1)      (2) 

Combined 7  9 

(1)  (2) 
Riinkle 7                     8        8 

(2)  (2)      (1) 
Combined                                                                          . .  8 

(2) 

All  schools 8  8 

(2)  (2) 

The  scores  in  this  table  express  the  median  numl^er  of  examples  attempt«d. 


Appendix  421 

TABLE  NO.   13. 
Courtis  Arithmetic  Tests. 

(6)  Accuracy  of  Addition. 

Grade  Grade 

.   Sclwol                                                               V  VI 

Devotion 57        58  64        88 

(19)      (13)  (14)      (12) 

Combined 57  71 

(11)  (21) 

DriscoU 71  .. 

(16)  ■        .  . 

Heath 60  50 

(16)  (17) 

liawrenee 71  78 

(11)  (14) 
'Lincoln 70        65                67        70 

(16)      (12)  (15)      (20) 

Combined 67  '        67 

(12)  (17) 
Pierce 60        50  57        69 

(22)      (25)  (14)      (16) 

Combined 57  64 

(23)  (20) 

Runkle 60         '  70        71 

(22)  (18)      (15) 

Combined .  .  70 

(18) 

All  schools 62  67 

(18)  (17) 

The  scores  in  this  table  express  the  median  number  of  examples  correctly 
done. 


422  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

TABLE  NO.  14. 
Courtis  Arithmetic  Tests. 

(c)  Speed  of  Subtraction. 

Grade  Grade 

School  V  VI 

Devotion 7  8  10         9' 

(1)  (2)  (2)        (1> 
Combined 8  9 

(2)  (2) 

Driscoll 7 

(1) 
Heath 9  9 

(1)  (2) 
Lawrence 8  8 

(2)  (1) 
Lincoln 8          8                  9         10' 

(2)  (2)  (2)        (2), 
Combined 8  10 

(2)  (2) 

Pierce 8  6  8  8 

(1)        (1)  (2)        (2> 

Combined 6  8 

(1)  (1) 
Runkle , 8                       8         10 

(2)  (2)        (2) 
Combined . .  9 

(2) 
All  schools ^ 8  9 

(2)  (2) 

The  scores  in  this  table  express  the  median  number  of  examples  correctly/ 
done. 


I 


Appendix  423 

TABLE  NO.   15. 
Courtis  Arithmetic  Tests. 

(d)  Accuracy  of  Subtraction. 

Grade  Grade 

School  V  VI 

Devotion 71        67  73        93 

(14)      (16)  (16)       (7) 

Combined 67  86  • 

(10)  (14) 

Driscoll 77 

(20)  • 

Heath 80  77 

(10)  (13) 

Lawrence 71  75 

(21)  (14) 
Lincoln 80        82  73        82 

(18)      (10)  (15)      (10) 

Combined 80  78 

(10)  (11) 

Pierce 67        71  67        83 

(16)      (21)  (17)       (9) 

Combined 67  75 

(19)  (15) 

Runkle 86  83        85 

(14)  (17)      (15) 
Combined *., . .  83 

(16) 
All  schools 75  80 

(15)  (13) 

The  scores  in  this  table  express  the  median  per  cent  of  examples  correctly 
done. 


424  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

TABLE  NO.  16. 
Courtis  Arithmetic  Tests. 

(e)  Speed  of  Multiplication. 

Grade  Grade 

School  V  VI 

Devotion 6  8  8  8 

(1)        (1)  (2)        (2) 

Combined 7  8 

(1)  (2) 
DriscoU 7 

(2) 

Heath 7  7 

(2)  (1) 
Lawrence 7  8 

(1)  (1) 

Lincoln 6  6  8  8 

a)        (1)  (1)        (2) 

Combined 6  8 

(1)  (1) 

Pierce 6  5  7  7 

(1)        (1)  (1)        (1) 

Combined 6  7 

(1)  (1) 
Hunkle 7                       7  7 

(2)  (2)        (1) 
Combined .  .  7 

(1) 
All  schools 6  7 

(1)  (1) 

T^e  scores  in  this  table  express  the  median  number  of  examples  attempted. 


Appendix  425 

TABLE  NO.   17. 
Courtis  Arithmetic  Tests. 

(/)  Accuracy  of  Multiplication. 

Grade  Grade 

School  V  VI 

Devofcion 07        57  67        89 

(17)      (U)  (11)      (11) 

Combined 60  80  ,       - 

(17)  (17) 

DriscoU 71 

(17) 
Heath 67  63 

(16)  (12) 
Lawrence 67  78 

(17)  (11) 
Lincoln 67        86                67        80 

(17)      (14)  (17)      (10) 

C'ombined 75  75 

(25)  (12) 

Pierce 60        67  67        71 

(15)      (27)  (17)      (15) 

Combined 60  70 

(20)  (14) 

Runkle 83  78        83 

(16)  (22)      (17) 
Combined . .  82 

(18) 
All  schools 67  75 

(17)  (15) 

The  scores  in  this  table  express  the  median  p3r  cents  of  examples  done 
correctly. 


426  School  Sukvey  of  Brookline 

TABLE  NO.  18. 
Courtis  Arithmetic  Tests. 

(g)  Speed  of  Division. 

Grade  Grade 

School  V  VI 

Devotion 6  6  7  9 

(1)  (1)  (2)        (2) 
Combined 6  8 

(1)  (2) 
Driscoll 5 

(2) 

Heath 7  8 

(2)  (2) 
Lawrence 6  9 

(2)  (2) 

Lincoln 7  7  8  9 

(2)  (1)  (1)        (3) 
Combined 7  8 

(1)  (2) 

Pierce 6  4  9  8 

(1)        0)  (1)        (2) 

Combined 5  8 

(1)  (2) 

Runkle 7  8  8 

(1)  (2)        (2) 
Combined . .  8 

(2) 
All  schools 6  8 

(2)  (2) 

The  scores  in  this  table  express  the  median  number  of  examples  attempted. 


Appendix  427 

TABLE  NO.  19. 

Courtis  Arithmetic  Tests. 

(h)  Accuracy  of  Division. 

Grade  Grade 

School                                                                 V  VI 

Devotion 83        75  85        89 

(17)      (25)  (18)      (11) 

Combined 80  86 

(20)  (14) 

Driscoll 86 

(14) 

Heath - 86  89 

(14)  (11) 
Lawrence 78  90 

(22)  (9) 

Lincoln 83        71  75        86 

(16)      (15)  (14)      (14) 

Combined 75  83 

(15)  (9) 
Pierce 67        75  88        88 

(29)      (25)  (12)      (12) 

Combined 67  88 

(29)  (12) 

Runkle 89  100       100 

(11)  (0)        (0) 

Combined 100 

(0) 

AU  schools 80  88 

(20)  (12) 

The  scores  in  this  table  express  the  median  per  cent  of  examples  correctly 
done. 


428  School  Survey  of  Brookline 

TABLE  NO.  20. 
Stone  Arithmetic  Test. 

Grade  Grade 

School                                                           V  VI 

Devotion 5.6        4.4  6.8        9.2 

(2.2)      (1.4)  (1.6)      (1.8) 

Combined 5.2  7.8 

(2.0)  (2.0) 

Driscoll 4.0 

(1.4) 

Heath 3.0  6.4 

(2.0)  (1.4) 

Lawrence .4.6  6.6 

(1.8)  (1.8) 

Lincoln 3.0        2.0  5.0        5.0 

(2.0)      (2.0)  (1.6)      (1.0) 

Combined 3.0  5.0 

(2.0)  (1.4) 
Pierce 4.0        3.0  5.6        5.4 

(1.0)      (1.0)  (2.2)      (2.0) 

Combined 4.0  5.4 

(1.4)  (2.0) 

Runkle 5.0  7.2        6.8 

(2.1)  (2.4)      (1.6) 
Combined ...  6.8 

(2.0) 

All  schools 4.0  6.2 

(1.6)  (2.0) 

The  scores  in  this  table  show  the  median  value  gained  in  the  test.  The 
values  are  determined  on  the  basis  of  a  fixed  credit  assigned  to  each  example 
by  Mr.  Stone. 


Appendix 


429 


TABLE  NO.  21. 
Spelling  Tests. 

(a)  Words  from  Ayers  Scale. 

Grade         Grade  Grade               Grade 

.ichool           IV                V  VI                 VII 

Devotion 90     92        91     91  93      91        93            94 

(9)     (7)        (9)  (10)  (7)     (7)        (7)          (5) 

Combined..         91                91  92                   93 

(8)                (9)  (7)                    (6) 

Driscoll 90  91 

(8)  (8) 

Heath 70                 84  90                     91 

(18)               (12)  (8)                    (9) 

Lawrence 78                 81  89                    88 

(16)               (14)  (8)                   (11) 

Lincoln 77      85        86    82  86      85        87           81 

(17)  (12)       (8)  (14)  (11)  (11)       (9)          (16) 

Combined.  .         81                  83  85                    84 

(14)               (12)  (11)                  (13) 

Pierce 87      86         89    89  88     94         89    94    96 

(13)  (13)       (8)    (9)  (10)    (6)        (9)  (b)    (4) 

Combined..         87                 89  91                     93 

(12)  (8)  (9)                    (7) 

Runkle 93      85         86           89 

(7)    (13)      (12)          (8) 

Combined..         88                 85  89                     87 

(16)               (12)  (10)                  (10) 

All  schools.  .  .         84                 87  89                    90 

(13)  (11)  (9)                    (9) 

The  scores  in  this  table  express  average  per  cents. 


Grade 
VIII 

89      92 
(9)     (8) 

90 

(9) 


87 
(10) 
90 

(8) 

70      77 
(18)  (161 

7?. 

(16> 

94      88 
(8)     (9). 


91 

(91 


84 
(12) 

86 
(12> 


430 


School  Survey  of  Brookline 


TABLE  NO.  22. 

Spelling  Tests. 

(h)  Words  from  Boston  Lists. 


School 
Devotion . . . 

Grade 

IV 
62      64 

(18)  (20) 

Grade 

V 

72     79 

(21)  (17) 

Grade 

VI 

86     86 

(11)  (13) 

Grade 

VII 

69             60 

(14)          (15) 

Grade 
VIII 

89      89 
(13)    (9) 

Combined 

63 
(19) 

75 

(20) 

86 

(12) 

65 

(16) 

89 
(11)' 

Driscoll 

63 

(16) 

77 
(16) 

•• 

•• 

•• 

Heath 

41 

(17) 

65 

(16) 

91 

(10) 

67 

(18) 

78 
(17) 

Xiawrence. . . 

56 
(19) 

53 

(21) 

83 

(13) 

60 

(18) 

80 

(17) 

Lincoln.  .  .  . 

79     64 
(13)  (15) 

67     75 

(16)  (18) 

83     78 
(15)  (18) 

54             59 

(16)          (24) 

71      67 

(16)   (20) 

Combined 

72 
(17) 

71 

(18) 

81 
(17)      . 

56 

(21) 

65 

(18) 

Pierce 

57     67 

(22)  (15) 

72     70 
(14)  (17) 

81      89 
(16)  (11) 

66     93     62 

(15)  (9)  (16) 

89      83 
(10)   (14) 

Combined 

61 
(20) 

71 

(16) 

85 
(14) 

76 

(17) 

86 
(12) 

Runkle 

•• 

•• 

83     78 
(16)  (19) 

63            65 

(21)          (18) 

•• 

Combined 

64 
(23) 

67 

(19) 

80 

(18) 

64 
(16) 

79 

(14) 

All  schools. . 

61 

(20) 

69 

(19) 

84 
(16) 

66 
(19) 

80 
(16) 

The  scores  in 

this  table  e: 

xpress  avera< 

;e  per  cents. 

Appendix  43 1 

TABLE  NO.  23. 

Penmanship. 

Speed  of  Writing. 

Grade  Grade  Grade  Grade 

School  V  VI  VII  VIII 

Devotion 78      84  90      88  103  104         107     117 

(8)     (12)  (8)     (12)  (10)  (10)         (9)      (7) 

Combined 80  89  104  110 

(9)  (10)  '        (10)  (9) 

Driscoll 78 

(7) 

Heath 81  86  99  98 

(7)  (6)  (8)  (11) 

Lawrence 79  88  104  98 

(10)  (11)  (9)  (12) 

Lincoln 72       51  81       82  96  82  81       79 

(8)      (7)        (10)     (7)  (6)  (8)         (12)    (11) 

Combined 64    •  82  94  81 

(13)  (9)  (11)  (12) 

Pierce 76      67  83      86  74      84      72  97      92 

(8)      (7)         (19)     (6)  (9)     <9)     (10)        (14)    (15) 

Combined 67  85  76  94 

(9)  (9)  (9)  (16) 

Runkle 85  92      88  81  90  101 

(7)  (10)    (13)         (7)  (12)  (8) 

•    Combined 90  82 

(12)  (9) 

All  schools 76  87  90  98 

(10)  (9)  (13)  (13) 

The  scores  in  this  table  express  the  median  number  of  letters  written  per 
minute. 


432         School  Survey  of  Brookline 

TABLE  NO.  24. 

Penmanship. 

Quality  of  Writing. 
Grade  Grade  Grade  Grade 

Devotion 44      45  45      48  47  45  53      50 

(4)      (3)  (4)      (5)  (3)  (2)  (4)      (4> 

Combined 45  46  45  51 

(3)  (4)  (2)  (4) 

Driscoll 46 

(6) 

Heath 45  47  47  46 

(3)  (3)  (4)  (3 

Lawrence -•         41  45  43  45 

(4)  (3)  (5)  (3) 

Tincoln  48      45  46      47  47  49  47       51 

^^^'"^ (4)      (3)  (3)      (3)  (4)  (3)  (3)      (3> 

Combined 45  46  45  51 

(3)  (4)  (4)  ^4) 

Pierce  .....'    44      46  46      44  49      50      48  51       48 

^'  (4)      (3)  (4)      (3)  (4)      (5)      (4)  (4)      (4> 

Combined 4^  44  48  49 

(4)  (4)  (4)  (41 

Runkle 46      46  48  48 

(4)      (4)         (5)  (3) 

Combined 43  46  48  49 

(3)  (4)  (5)  (6) 

All  schools 44  46  47  49 

(4)  (4)  (4)  (4) 

The  scores  in  this  table  express  the  median  quality  of  writing  in  terms  oi" 
the  Ayers  handwriting  scale. 


I 


Appendix 


433 


TABLE  NO.  25. 
Holmes  Reading  Test. 

Speed  of  Silent  Reading. 

Grade  Grade  Grade-                   Grade 

School                     V  VI  VII                   VIII 

Devotion 249    276  309     237  297              312         312     309 

(60)    (66)  (72)    (63)  (66)              (54)        (73)    (63) 

Combined 249  300  309                       309 

(60)  (72)  (60)                      (63) 

Driscoll 348 

(91) 

Heath 207  290  318                      312 

(42)  (43)  (45)                       (48) 

Lawrence 354  363  363                      363 

(105)  (120)  (66)                       (60) 

Lincoln 237  240  264  252  321      294    276  249 

(75)  (117)  (45)  (42)  (75)      (57)   (51)  (42) 

Combined 237  264  309                      252 

(90)  (45)  (69)                      (43) 

Pierce 237  234  237  249  276  237  270    318  318 

(39)  (60)  (48)  (60)  (57)  (39)  (63)   (57)  (78) 

Combined 234  249  258                       318 

(54)  (60)  (51)                      (72) 

Runkle 384    321  276              279 

(122)    (66)  (54)              (42) 

Combined 321  330  276        .               318 

(84)  (54)  (52)                       (69) 

All  schools 249  283  309                       294 

(69)  (80)  (63)                      (69) 


The  scores  in 
minute. 


this  table  express  median  speeds  of  reading  in  words  per 


434         School  Survey  of  Brookline 

TABLE  NO.  26. 

Holmes  Reading  Test. 

Reproduction  of  Passage  Read. 

Grade               Grade  Grade                    Grade 

School                     V                    VI  VII                     VIII 

Devotion 60      63          57       57  60                63          60      60 

(9)      (9)          (9)      (9)  (9)               (12)         (9)     (11) 

Combined 60                    57  60                         60 

(9)                    (9)  (9)                        (9) 

DriscoU 54 

(6)                     ..  ..                          .. 

Heath 60                   57  46                        57 

(9)                   (9)  (8)                       (6) 

Lawrence 54                   57  57                        63 

(9)                   (8)  (8)                        (6) 

Lincoln 57       63          46      51  60                57          54      63 

(8)      (8)          (8)      (9)  (6)               (6)          (9)      (8) 

Combined 57                   49  60                        57 

(9)                    (6)  (6)                         (9) 

Pierce 54      49          60       54  57       49      57          54      60 

(8)      (8)         (11)     (6)  (9)      (9)      (6)          (9)      (9) 

Combined 54                    57  54                         57 

(8)  (6)  (6)                        (8) 

Runkle 57      57  57                66 

(9)     (14)  (8)                (8) 

Combined.....         51                    57  63                         66 

(5)                   (11)  (8)                        (6) 

All  schools 57                   57  57                  '      60 

(9)  (9)  (9)                         (9) 

The  scores  in  this  table  express  the  median  per  cent  of  ideas  correctly 
reproduced. 


Appendix  435 

TABLE  NO.  27. 
Holmes  Reading  Test. 

Answers  to  Questions  on  Passage  Read. 

Grade  Grade                     Grade  Grade 

School                     V  VI                       VII  VIII 

Devotion 72       65  69       67  72                72  68       73 

(10)    (12)  (9)     (10)  (5)                (9)  (9)      (6) 

Combined 69  67  72  70 

(9)  (10)  (9)  (7) 

Driscoll 64 

(6) 

Heath 65  70  65  72 

(14)  (7)  (9)  (10) 

Lawrence 63  66  67  73 

(13)  (13)  (13)  (5) 

Lincoln 57      58  53       58  68  73  64      75 

(13)     (9)  (5)      (11)         (6)  (8)         (10)     (7) 

Combined 57  54  70  73 

(9)  (10)  (8)  (9) 

Pierce 63       63  68       54  72       65       67         68       77 

(10)     (9)  (10)     (5)  (6)      (7)     (10)        (14)     (5) 

Combined...         62  59  65  73 

(9)  (10)  (7)  (9) 

Runkle ..  68      63  67  77 

(10)     (9)  (9)  (8) 

Combined 60  64  71  73 

(7)  (9)  (8)  (9) 

All  schools 62  64  68  73 

(11)  (11)  (9)  (9) 

The  scores  in  this  table  express  the  median  per  cent  of  correct  answers. 


436         School  Survey  of  Brookline 

TABLE  NO.  28. 

Composition  Test. 

Grade  Grade 

School  VI  VIII 

Devotion 57      62  70      69 

(6)      (6)  (9)      (5) 

Combined 61  69 

(6)  (6) 

Heath 67  77 

(5)  (9) 

Lawrence 61  68 

(4)  (6) 

Lincoln 60       48  65       65 

(5)      (4)  (5)      (4) 

Combined....'. 54  65 

(9)  (5) 

Pierce 66      67  73      71 

(4)      (8)  (4)      (7) 

Combined 67  73 

(8)  (6) 

Runkle 61      63 

(4)      (3) 

Combined 62  73 

(4)  (6) 

AU  schools 61  70 

(6)  (7) 

The  scores  in  this  table  express  median  per  cents  obtained  on  the  basis 
of  the  Harvard-Newton  scale. 


OVERDUE. 


2i_l00m-12.'43  (8796s) 


VC  63. 


Bt  V3 


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